US Pilot Says Dubai Airshow Felt ‘Jarring’ After Tejas Crash, Team Pulled Out In Respect

Last Updated:November 23, 2025, 13:55 IST

Taylor “FEMA” Hiester and his US aerobatic team canceled their Dubai Airshow performance after Wing Commander Namansh Syal of the IAF died in a Tejas crash, honoring his memory.

Taylor “FEMA” Hiester posted about the fatal crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet at the Dubai Airshow.

A US aerobatic pilot has shared a detailed and emotional account of the moments following the fatal crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet at the Dubai Airshow, saying his team chose to cancel their scheduled performance out of respect for the fallen pilot.

Taylor “FEMA” Hiester posted on Instagram that he received several messages from people checking on his team after the tragedy, clarifying that they were not involved in the incident and were on their way back to the United States.

Wing Commander Namansh Syal of the IAF was killed on the final day of the airshow while performing an aerobatic demonstration in the Tejas. Hiester said his team was preparing their aircraft for their routine when the crash occurred.

Hiester wrote that while the airshow organisers decided to continue with the flying schedule, his team, along with a few others, pted to withdraw from their final 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. I have a few personal notes to share which is what this page is for,” he said.

He described watching the aftermath from a distance, thinking about the Indian maintenance crew standing near an empty parking spot where the aircraft had been, the ladder still lying on the ground and the pilot’s belongings in his rental car.

“After two years of doing this job, that was a first for our team and it came just before our final performance of the season. Together and individually, we all quietly watched the aftermath unfold from a distance thinking about the Indian maintenence crew standing on the ramp next to an empty parking spot, aircraft ladder laid on the ground, the pilot’s belongings still in his rental car. I suppose each of us contemplated their new reality that came in an instant,” he wrote.

Hiester said he expected the show site to be subdued when he walked through it later but found that the announcer remained enthusiastic and the crowd continued watching subsequent routines “with excitement”. The show ended with a routine sign-off thanking sponsors and performers.

“After they put the fire out, and I was notified by the airshow organisers that the flying display would continue, I made the decision that we would cancel. I walked through the show site maybe an hour or two later expecting to find it empty, down, or off. It wasn’t. The announcer was still enthusiastic, the crowd still watched the next several routines with excitement and when the show was over, it ended with ‘Congratulations to all of our sponsors, performers and we’ll see you in 2027’,” he added.

Calling the experience “uncomfortable”, Hiester reflected on how the moment underscored the importance of the people one works and travels with. “It was uncomfortable for me for a lot of reasons, some of them selfish, imagining my own team walking out of the show site without me, rock and roll playing on the speakers as another act performs. However, that very jarring shock of misplaced, borderline alternate reality sense of normalcy was a gift in its own way.”

“Just before the last performance, at the last show, the last time we’d all wear our show uniforms together, I was shaken awake by this truth – despite whatever guise, whatever “rockstar treatment”, fancy dinners and sponsor chalets, my team who became my family is all I ever had in the first place. It’s a lesson I’ll keep with me long after I’m finished with demonstration flying. It applies to you too,” he said.

Hiester said the sense of normalcy at the venue after the crash served as a stark reminder that “the show must go on” — a phrase he acknowledged but noted would someday apply to everyone.

“The people you invest in, the people that you love and the people that love you back… will be the only way you live past your own individual end,” he wrote, concluding his note with: “Thanks.”

News world US Pilot Says Dubai Airshow Felt ‘Jarring’ After Tejas Crash, Team Pulled Out In Respect

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