A crack was discovered in the windshield of the cockpit of "Kanaf Zion" (lit. "Wing of Zion"), Israel's official state airplane, which serves both the Prime Minister and the President.
The crack was discovered a short time after the plane landed in Washington ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the US next week.
It did not affect the plane's ability to land, and the craft will return to Israel Thursday night, and take off as scheduled on Monday, after the defect has been fixed.
A statement from the plane's manager in the Prime Minister's Office read: "Defects are not an unusual thing for planes. The Kanaf Zion plane sometimes needs to be fixed. Whenever an issue is discovered, it is dealt with as per the Boeing company's protocols, by staff from the aerial industry."
"Kanaf Zion landed safely in Washington, with a slight crack in the exterior portion of the windshield. After a comprehensive examination and receipt of approval from the proper professionals that it can continue its flight home, the plane returned to Israel and landed safely."
The statement concluded, "This issue is common among planes and it is not at all dangerous. At the same time, it is being dealt with, and the plane will take off completely usable for its next flight."