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8 months ago
22
An Israeli couple who had achieved success and renown as investors died Saturday night after their plane crashed in northern California on Saturday night.
Liron and Naomi Petrushka were trying to land at Truckee Tahoe airport at 6:38pm, when their plane went down. The married couple tragically died in the crash.
The plane left Centennial airport in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday around 4:20 p.m., before making its way west. The cause of the crash is still unknown.
In a Facebook post, Truckee Tahoe airport officials said that the plane was a 'single engine TBM aircraft N960LP.'
Before joining the tech world, Liron was a soccer player in Israel.
Liron (pictured) and Naomi Petrushka's single-engine plane crashed in northern California around 6:38 p.m
The plane went down in Truckee, which is right by the Nevada state line
Although the cause of the crash is still unknown, the conditions were snowy and there was visibility range of half a mile
They noted that although there were two known fatalities, it wasn't yet clear 'how many people were onboard.'
Conditions were moderately snowy at the time of the crash, and there was a visibility of a half-mile, according to KCRA-TV.
The Petrushkas, who leave behind four children, had been living in California for the last few years. They had established themselves as astute tech investors and had a strings of successes behind them.
In 1999, the couple sold their company CommerceBid, which they had founded, for over $200 million. After the acquisition, the Petrushka remained on board and helped the company that purchased CommerceBid.
Truckee Police and fire department personnel were quick to arrive on the scene
After CommerceBid, they invested in Check, a company that was subsequently sold to American financial powerhouse Intuit in 2014 for around $360 million.
According to Ctech, the Petrushkas also invested in V.C. firm UpWest, an organization that invests in Israeli-helmed startups located in both Israel and the United States.
The plane carrying the Petrushkas crashed in Truckee, which is near the Nevada state line.
After the crash, the Truckee Police Department posted on their Facebook page:
'Truckee Police and fire personnel are currently on scene of a plane crash near the area of Glenshire Drive and Olympic Blvd. At this time there is no threat to any structures and no road closures.'
They warned nearby residents that 'there will be a heavy presence of emergency responders in the area for an extended period of time.'
Liron (pictured) and Naomi Petrushka had distinguished themselves as shrewd business people- they sold their company CommerceBid for $200m in 1999
The plane left Centennial Airport in Denver, Colorado, around 4:20 p.m. before making its way west
According to the Truckee Tahoe Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the crash
The Truckee Tahoe Airport said that following the plane crash, 'Truckee Police, Truckee Fire, Nevada County Sheriff, Nevada County Coroner and Truckee Tahoe Airport staff were on scene.'
They also mentioned that the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the situation.
Before launching his impressive career as a tech investor, Liron Petrushka got his start playing soccer for the Israeli team Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim.
In a statement to the Times of Israel, the soccer club's chairperson said: 'The club bows its head for the death of Liron Petrushka and his wife.'
English (US)