Russian Knights Honor Indian Pilot: Missing Man Formation Tribute for IAF Wing Commander Killed in Dubai Tejas Crash

A Missing Man formation was performed (right) to pay tribute to Wing Commander Namansh Syal (left).

The Russian Knights aerobatics team executed the 'Missing Man' formation in honor of Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force pilot who lost his life when his Tejas fighter jet crashed during a low-altitude negative G turn at the Dubai Air Show on Friday.

In a video shared on the Russian social media platform VK, the Russian Knights described the Tejas crash as "impossible to describe," stating that their aerial display on the final day of the aviation show was in "memory of the brothers who did not return from the last flight".

Russian Aerobatic Team Honours Indian Air Force Wg Cdr Namansh Syal🇮🇳 With Final-Day Tribute at Dubai Airshow 2025. The Missing Man Formation. 💔pic.twitter.com/4MXxcm4kvM

A US aerobatic pilot shared on Instagram that their team canceled their final performance on the air show's second day out of respect for Syal. Taylor "FEMA" Hiester wrote, "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 maintenance 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."

Hiester noted that the continued normalcy at the venue following the crash emphasized the reality that "the show must go on".

Spectators watched in horror as the Tejas fighter jet plunged into the ground, creating a ball of black smoke and fire over Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. Syal was scheduled to fly the aircraft for eight minutes as part of a demonstration at one of the world's premier aviation shows.

Syal was cremated in his ancestral village in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra on Sunday after his body was received at the Sulur Air Force Base in Tamil Nadu with full military honors. The IAF described the air warrior as a "dedicated fighter pilot" and thorough professional who served the nation with unwavering commitment, exceptional skill, and an unyielding sense of duty.

Friday's crash marked the second accident involving the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft in less than two years. On March 12, 2024, a Tejas aircraft crashed near a residential colony in Jaisalmer while returning from the tri-services military exercise 'Bharat Shakti' in the Pokhran desert, which was the first accident involving the homegrown jet since it began flying in 2001.