An El Al 737 heading for Bucharest, Romania on Thursday night turned around after leaving Tel Aviv and headed back home after a crack was detected in the plane’s windshield.

The plane carrying 98 passengers was forced to circle overhead for a period of time to burn fuel prior to landing, which was accomplished without incident.

El Al officials state that an inspection revealed that standard temperature changes which occured during takeoff caused the crack, stating the plane could have continued without difficulty, but safety concerns remain of paramount importance and the decision was made to head home to permit ground crews to repair the window.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)