Five IAF personnel were found guilty for the crash of a Mi-17 helicopter in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir as a high-level probe concluded that the chopper went down after being hit by a surface-to-air missile on 27 February, the day Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a dogfight, military sources said on Friday, 24 August.
A six-month-long Court of Inquiry into the incident found that the Mi-17 V-5 helicopter was hit by a ground-based missile of the Indian Air Force when the chopper was on its way back to Srinagar air base, they said.
Six IAF personnel on board and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash.
Five IAF personnel, including the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Srinagar base, were held responsible for the crash and all of them are likely to face severe punishment, sources said.
“The guilty personnel will face severe punishment as per provisions of the military law,” said a source, adding that the IAF top brass will decide on the quantum of punishment for those held responsible for the incident.
The IAF will initiate strong action against the guilty based on the report. This could include charging the guilty with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the sources said.
There is no immediate comment from the IAF on the findings of the probe.
The probe found that the 'Identification of Friend or Foe' (IFF) system on-board the helicopter was switched off and there were "vital gaps" in communication and coordination between the ground staff and the crew of the chopper.
It also found violations of standard operating procedures. The IFF helps air defence radars identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile.
The helicopter crashed in Budgam around 10 am on February 27 when Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in fierce aerial combat in Nowshera, a day after India’s air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan.
The helicopter went down around 10 minutes after taking off.
Official sources said the helicopter was asked to return because of the dofight 100 km away from Srinagar. A missile was fired at the helicopter as the IAF ground staff thought it was an enemy chopper.
The IAF headquarters had ordered a CoI into the incident under an Air Commodore-ranked officer.
In early May, the IAF transferred the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of Srinagar base to ensure a thorough probe into the incident.
Sources said the CoI was also specifically focusing on examining the role of various people, including those controlling the air defence system when the helicopter was hit by the surface-to-air missile.
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