Married Israeli tech entrepreneur couple die in plane crash in northern California – leaving behind four kids
An Israeli couple who achieved success and fame as investors died after their plane crashed in Northern California on Saturday evening.
Liron and Naomi Petrushka were trying to land at Truckee Tahoe Airport at 6:38 p.m. when their plane crashed. The couple tragically died in the accident.
The plane left Centennial Airport in Denver, Colorado, around 4:20 PM on Saturday before making its way west. The cause of the crash is still unknown.
In a Facebook post, Truckee Tahoe airport officials said the plane was a “single-engine TBM aircraft N960LP.”
Before joining the technical world, Liron was a football player in Israel.
The single-engine plane of Liron (pictured) and Naomi Petrushka crashed in Northern California around 6:38 p.m.
The plane crashed in Truckee, near the Nevada state line
Although the cause of the crash is still unknown, there was snow and a visibility range of half a mile
They noted that while there were two known fatalities, it was not yet clear “how many people were on board.”
According to KCRA-TV, conditions at the time of the crash were moderately snowy with visibility of half a mile.
The Petrushkas, who leave behind four children, lived in California in recent years. They had established themselves as savvy technology investors and had a string of successes behind them.
In 1999, the couple sold their company CommerceBid, which they had founded, for more than $200 million. After the acquisition, the Petrushka stayed on board and helped the company that bought CommerceBid.
Truckee Police and Fire quickly arrived on scene
After CommerceBid, they invested in Check, a company that was subsequently sold to US financial powerhouse Intuit for around $360 million in 2014.
According to Ctechthe Petrushkas also invested in venture capital firm UpWest, an organization that invests in Israeli-led startups in both Israel and the United States.
The plane carrying the Petrushkas crashed in Truckee, near the Nevada state line.
After the crash, the Truckee Police Department posted on their Facebook page:
“Truckee Police and Fire are currently on the scene of a plane crash near Glenshire Drive and Olympic Blvd. There is no danger to structures at this time and there are no road closures.”
They warned residents that “there will be a large emergency responder presence in the area for an extended period of time.”
Liron (pictured) and Naomi Petrushka had distinguished themselves as smart businessmen: they sold their company CommerceBid in 1999 for $200 million
The plane left Centennial Airport in Denver, Colorado, around 4:20 p.m. before heading west
According to Truckee Tahoe Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash
The Truckee Tahoe Airport said that after the plane crash, “Truckee Police, Truckee Fire, Nevada County Sheriff, Nevada County Coroner and Truckee Tahoe Airport personnel responded to the scene.”
They also said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the situation.
Before Liron Petrushka started his impressive career as a technology investor, he started playing football for the Israeli team Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim.
In a statement to the Time from Israel, the president of the football club said: “The club bows its head to the death of Liron Petrushka and his wife.”