Why US pilot quit Dubai Air Show after Tejas pilot Namansh Syal’s death | Explained

New Delhi: United States Air Force (USAF) pilot Major Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester expressed deep shock over the Dubai Air Show 2025 organisers’ move to continue with scheduled flying displays following last week’s Tejas crash that killed Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Namansh Syal.

In an emotional post on Instagram, the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Commander announced that his team, along with several others, had decided to withdraw from the event’s final performance "out of respect to the IAF pilot, his colleagues and family”.

Hiester recounted his reaction upon learning that the airshow would carry on despite the fatal crash. "I walked through the show site maybe an hour or two later expecting it to be empty, down, or off. It wasn't,” he wrote.

Wing Commander Syal lost his life on Friday when his Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), crashed during a manoeuvre at the Al Makhtoum International Airport. Disturbing visuals showed the jet falling uncontrollably and erupting into flames after impact. Attempts to eject were unsuccessful.

Hiester criticised the atmosphere at the venue following the tragedy, noting that the commentary and crowd enthusiasm resumed almost immediately. "Yesterday, on the final day of the Dubai Airshow, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed performing a fighter jet acrobatic demo in the Tejas. Our team was preparing our own airplane to fly our own display. Though the show made the shocking decision to continue with the flying schedule, our team along with a few others made the decision to cancel our final performance out of respect to the pilot, his colleagues and family,” he wrote.

He added, "It was uncomfortable for me to imagine my team walking out of the show site without me to a rock and roll track as the next performer prepared. The show must go on, is what they always say. And they're right. But just remember someone will say that after you've gone too.”

On Sunday, the officer’s mortal remains were received at Sulur Air Force Base in Tamil Nadu with full military honours before being transported to his hometown in Himachal Pradesh. A flower-adorned Army vehicle led a convoy accompanying the coffin to Patiyalkar village in Kangra district.

During the cremation ceremony, his wife Wing Commander Afshan, grief-stricken and holding their six-year-old daughter, bade a final salute. The fighter pilot was cremated with military honours and a gun salute, with cousin Nishant performing the last rites.