The Mi-17 helicopter of the IAF, which crashed in Kashmir in February as an aerial engagement was on with the Pakistani air force, was shot down by friendly fire, an inquiry has confirmed.
At least four officers, including a Group Captain, were found responsible for the crash, Defence sources said on Friday.
The IAF had ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the crash which killed six personnel and one civilian on the ground.
The Mi-16 was shot down by Israeli-origin ground-based Spyder surface-to-air missile system of the IAF.
The CoI also examined the role of various people involved including those controlling the air defence system when the helicopter was hit by a surface-to-air missile, sources said and added that the quantum of punishment would be determined by the IAF based on the recommendations of the CoI.
On the morning of February 27, as jets of India and Pakistan were engaged in a dog fight over the Naushera sector, the Mi-17 crashed in Budgam shortly after take-off from Srinagar.
Preliminary findings had found several procedural violations surrounding the crash. Top among them is that the Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF), a transponder-based identification system that communicates with radars, was switched off. Due to this, in the midst of the air battle over the skies close by, the Mi-17 was mistaken to be that of the adversary.
Apart from the IFF systems, there are designated air corridors for friendly aircraft to fly and some areas considered sensitive are designated as weapons free, meaning none can fly there and air defences are authorised to shoot violators.
