Incident Overview
A Pakistan Navy Breguet aircraft departed from Mehran Naval Air Station in Karachi for a survey flight over Kashmir and the Pakistan-India border. On board were 16 occupants: six officers and 10 marines from the Pakistan Navy Corps based at Mehran NAS, Karachi.
Sequence of Events
During the flight, the aircraft was shot down by an air-to-air missile fired by a pilot of an Indian MiG-21 fighter. After being hit, the Breguet entered a dive and crashed in the Rann of Kutch, which is Indian territory. The aircraft disintegrated upon impact, and all 16 occupants were killed.
Official Probable Cause
The official investigation concluded that the aircraft was shot down by an air-air missile from an Indian MiG-21 fighter after it illegally entered Indian airspace.