According to official sources, a General Court Martial (GCM) instituted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) has recommended the dismissal of a Group Captain for the crash of a Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, after it was hit by a missile on February 27, 2019. The attack helicopter was struck by the IAF’s own surface-to-air missile when the chopper was on its way back to Srinagar on the day Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a dogfight. The GCM ordered the dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, who was serving as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Srinagar Air Force Station at the time. Six IAF personnel on board the chopper and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash.
The probe into the crash of a Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, 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. The IFF system helps air defence radars identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile. The investigation also found violations of standard operating procedures. The helicopter crashed on February 27, 2019, after it was hit by a ground-based missile during a dogfight between Indian and Pakistani air forces. Six IAF personnel on board the chopper and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash. The crash of the Mi-17 V5 helicopter occurred on February 27, 2019, in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir, during a period of intense air combat between Indian and Pakistani fighter jets in Nowshera. This was a day after India conducted an airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan. The helicopter was hit by a ground-based missile, resulting in the death of six Indian Air Force personnel on board and a civilian on the ground. The Court of Inquiry found that the 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.
