Two killed in snowy plane crash in Truckee identified; victims were tech entrepreneurs
An Israeli athlete-turned-entrepreneur and his wife died in a plane crash Saturday evening near Truckee, according to authorities and media reports.
The crash occurred about 6:38 p.m. on Union Pacific rail property south of Glenshire Drive, between the Truckee River and the rail line, Truckee Tahoe Airport officials said in a Facebook post. Snow was falling at the time, local weather reports say, and visibility was limited.
Both occupants of the plane were killed, authorities said. Israeli media identified them as former professional soccer player Liron Petrushka, 57, and his wife, Naomi Petrushka, 58, who were living in California.
No other casualties were reported. The Truckee Police Department said the crash didn’t threaten any structures or cause any road closures.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, the agency said on X, as is the Federal Aviation Administration.
The couple was trying to land a high-performance single-engine Daher TBM 700 at Truckee Tahoe Airport when they crashed, officials said. It’s unclear who was flying the plane. The online flight-tracking service FlightAware shows that the couple’s flight began in Denver.
The Petrushkas were entrepreneurs and tech investors who sold the company Liron Petrushka founded, CommerceBid, for more than $200 million in 1999.
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