The Air Force helicopter carrying President Yitzhak Herzog was forced to make an emergency landing at Palmachim Air Base today (Thursday) after hitting a bird during flight.
The president was on his way from the memorial ceremony for the fallen of Operation Protective Edge on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem to comfort mourners in central Israel, when during the flight the 'Owl' helicopter hit a bird.
Following the incident, it was decided to make an immediate landing at Palmachim base.
Air Force emergency forces were deployed to the scene, but the landing ended without casualties or other unusual incidents.
After landing safely, the president waited briefly at the base, and later a replacement helicopter was made available to him.
After a few minutes, Herzog continued his daily routine as planned.
The IDF said: "During a routine flight by the President of the State in an IDF helicopter earlier today (Thursday), the helicopter landed at an air force base in central Israel following a bird strike. There were no injuries and no damage was caused. As part of routine procedure, the flight crew was transferred to another helicopter and continued its flight.".
It was also stated: "The helicopter was transferred for further treatment by the technical teams in the Air Force with the aim of returning it to continuous operation as soon as possible. The incident is being investigated.".
