An honest mistake? I'm sorry, that does not wash. The guy is employed NOT to make mistakes of this nature....and bearing in mind it's his profession, it's fair that he would be held culpable, just as a doctor would be if he acted incompetently and killed someone through poor practice.
I wonder what people would have argued had it been a US airline shot down off the coastline of the US by an Iranian ship?
What do we think the thoughts would be then?