TRUCKEE, Calif. — Two people killed in a plane crash Saturday night in Truckee were identified Sunday by a professional colleague as Liron and Naomi Petrushka, investors and philanthropists.
Gil Ben-Artzy, a founding partner of UpWest, an investment firm which aims to fund and fast-track Israeli founders breaking into the American market, worked with Liron Petrushka for over a dozen years and by extension met his wife on multiple occasions, he said.
Ben-Artzy said Liron Petrushka was an UpWest partner when it formed in 2012 and later became an advisor in 2017; he and Naomi Patrushka were a pillar of the Bay Area community for decades, he said.
“Him and Naomi had multiple initiatives both as an investment and philanthropic, and it's a complete and utter tragedy,” Ben-Artzy told ABC10. “They leave behind three amazing boys, and our heart goes out to them.”
Ben-Artzy said the Petrushkas died Saturday evening in a plane crash at Truckee Tahoe Airport. The airport confirmed late Saturday the crash killed two people; the Nevada County Coroner’s Office has not yet officially confirmed the identities of the victims.
“When we started the fund UpWest, Liron was one of the first people that we called,” Ben-Artzy said. “He encouraged us to do so. He joined us in the journey. Both him and Naomi were incredible individuals. They were mentors to myself, my partner Shuly (Galili) and dozens of other founders that they were close with.”
He said the couple were prominent figures in both the U.S. and Israeli communities.
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Plane crash happened in Truckee
Liron and Naomi Petrushka reportedly died in a Truckee plane crashed during landing attempts Saturday night.
The crash occurred around 6:40 p.m. near Glenshire Drive and Olympic Boulevard, railroad tracks and the Truckee River, according to the Truckee Fire Department.
Fire officials said the railroad tracks were damaged, and crews are working to assess damage and start repairs.
Flight tracker software shows the plane, a single-engine TBM, took off from the Centennial Airport in Colorado.
Officials said Saturday there are no road closures or threats to buildings following the crash. It is unclear what caused the crash.
The Truckee Tahoe Airport’s weather station reported light snow at the time of the incident, roughly 0.75-mile visibility and overcast at 700 feet above ground level.
“It is not known yet how many people were onboard,” the Truckee Tahoe Airport wrote in a press release.
An investigation is underway by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
