Truckee, California — News comes in that two people were killed Saturday when a small plane crashed while attempting to land at Truckee Airport.
According to Israeli media, Liron Petrushka and Naomi Petrushka are originally from Israel and had lived in California in recent years.
The couple were both technology entrepreneurs and investors.
They invested in Palo Alto-based venture capital firm UpWest.
They are survived by four children.
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The Daher TBM900 took off from Denver, Colorado, on Saturday afternoon, according to aircraft tracking company FlightAware.
Police said the plane crashed at an intersection northwest of Truckee-Tahoe Airport near the area of Glenshire Drive and Olympic Boulevard around 6:38 p.m.
“At this time there is no threat to structures and no road closures have occurred,” police said. “There will be a large presence of emergency responders in this area for an extended period of time.”
Upwest founder Gil Ben Artzi told ABC7 News that while the victims never sought the spotlight, they had a huge impact on the companies they supported.
“They were quiet leaders,” he said. “They haven't been front stage and you won't read about them in business or investment publications. But when you talk to all the founders they've invested in, they always say they're the first You'll say it was a phone call.”
Ben Artsy said the pair wanted to give back to Israel's technology community through investment and philanthropy.
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He says they were mentors to many and had their time and generosity of heart.
“They were truly inseparable as a couple. They leave behind a wonderful legacy. We are all truly devastated by this,” Ben Artsy said.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators arrived at the crash scene Sunday morning and began documenting the crash, according to a statement from the NTSB.
“The wreckage will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation,” the NTSB said. The NTSB said a preliminary report is expected to be submitted within 30 days of the accident.
The agency said the investigation will include three main areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.
The NTSB asked anyone who witnessed the accident or has surveillance video or other information that may be relevant to the investigation to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.
ABC7 News contributed to this report.
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