Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs ID’d as Truckee plane crash victims

Amy Larson
·2 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A couple who died in a plane crash during a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada have been identified. The victims, Liron and Naomi Petrushka, were well-known entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, according to UpWest, a venture capital firm that the couple invested in.

Liron, 57, was an “angel investor” for UpWest, a firm based in Palo Alto that invests in Israeli-led startup companies. “Our hearts are with the Petrushka family and their sons David, Scott, and Jordan,” the firm wrote.

The plane crashed near Tahoe Truckee Airport at 6:38 p.m. during Saturday’s snowy weather.

“A single engine TBM aircraft N960LP crashed near Glenshire Dr, Truckee, CA while attempting to land at Truckee Tahoe Airport. There are two known fatalities,” airport officials stated.

Truckee police, Nevada County Sheriff, National Transportation Safety Board, and FAA are investigating.

A piece of the wreckage is seen along train tracks on March 31, 2024, in Truckee. (FOX40 Photo)
A piece of the wreckage is seen along train tracks on March 31, 2024, in Truckee. (FOX40 Photo)

“Liron and Naomi were a significant force in the building and success of UpWest from its inception. They brought their entrepreneurial spirit and generosity. Liron Petrushka, a successful repeat entrepreneur and iconic Angel investor, joined UpWest in 2012 as a Partner. Liron was a mentor, friend and pillar of wisdom who loved life, sports, and a good laugh,” UpWest wrote in a Facebook post with Liron’s photograph.

Omer Gottlieb, co-founder of AI startup Salespeak, described Liron as a humble and “extraordinary” person. “Our numerous conversations over the last few months were incredibly enriching; I learned something new in each and every one of them,” Gottlieb wrote on X.

(FOX40 Photo)
(FOX40 Photo)

Liron was piloting the plane from Denver to California when it flew into stormy weather, the Sacramento Bee reported. The pilot talked about weather concerns while attempting to navigate and land at Truckee’s airport with help from radar controllers in Oakland, the Bee reported.

A man who lives one block away from the crash site said he heard the engine as the plane went down. “Kind of surreal … a plane going over my house like that. There was weather. The visibility was bad.”

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