Israeli Couple Dies in Plane Crash in California

During a snowstorm, a small plane crashed near the Tahoe Truckee Airport over the weekend while attempting to land at Tahoe Truckee Airport near the California-Nevada border.

Aboard the plane was Israeli tech entrepreneur couple Liron and Naomi Petrushka. Both died at the scene, and the cause of the crash was still unknown, local media reported.

"We are devastated by the news of Liron and Naomi Petrushka's tragic death," Silicon Valley venture capital firm UpWest Labs said in a social media statement. "Our hearts are with the Petrushka family and their sons David, Scott, and Jordan."

The company added that Liron joined UpWest in 2012 as a partner and became an advisor to the fund in 2017.

The aircraft involved was a single-engine, turboprop plane. According to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) registry, it was identified as a Daher TBM 700 that originally took off from Centennial Airport in Colorado on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 30).

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would assist local police in investigating the incident.

The Times of Israel also reported that he was a former football player for the Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim team, and his son Jordan used to play for Israel's junior team.

"The club bows its head for the death of Liron Petrushka and his wife," team chairman Einav Hazenvald said. "Liron grew up in the club from the age of 10 and passed through all the teams in the club, including the adults' team. He played with me in the youth team, where we won the national championship, as well as in the adult team."

Ynet added that Liron started a tech company with Naomi and her brother in 1999, which they sold in 2000 for $242 million.