Israeli actor and flight instructor Guy Kapulnik was killed alongside a passenger after a small plane crashed into a field near a Southern California airport.
Kapulnik, 46, of Los Angeles, was piloting the single-engine aircraft when it went down in Hesperia on the morning of Thursday, September 24.
His passenger, Taylor Laska, 33, of Santa Monica, was also killed.
The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office later identified both victims. Kapulnik was listed as the pilot and Laska as the passenger.
Authorities were called to the area near Summit Valley Road and Telephone Canyon Road shortly before 10 a.m.
Multiple witnesses reportedly called 911 after seeing the plane descending toward the ground. Firefighters arrived to find the aircraft badly damaged in a field roughly two to three miles southwest of Hesperia Airport.
Both people inside the plane were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials identified the aircraft as an Aeronca 7AC Champion, a small, single-engine plane.
Local aviation company Midfield Aviation, based in nearby Apple Valley, confirmed that the aircraft belonged to the company. Midfield Aviation provides flight training and aircraft rentals.
The aircraft was manufactured in 1946 and was listed with valid flight status before the crash, according to federal aviation records.
Investigators have not said whether the flight was a training lesson, rental flight or another type of trip.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what caused the aircraft to go down.
Preliminary federal information describes the crash as occurring under “unknown circumstances,” meaning investigators have not yet determined whether mechanical problems, weather, pilot actions or another factor played a role.
The NTSB is expected to examine the wreckage, aircraft maintenance records, weather conditions, pilot information and any available witness accounts before reaching conclusions about the crash.
Kapulnik had spent years working in both entertainment and aviation.
Originally from Israel, he appeared in film, television and theater before becoming increasingly involved in flying.
His acting credits included the Israeli drama “Room 514,” in which he played Nimrod. The film was shown internationally and appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Kapulnik also had credits connected to films including “Lebanon,” “Salsa Tel Aviv” and “Call of the Wild,” along with television and theater work.
After moving to the United States, Kapulnik pursued aviation professionally.
His professional profile showed that he trained at the Long Beach Flying Club & Flight Academy and earned certification as a flight instructor. He later obtained a multi-engine commercial rating from the FAA.
Following news of his death, former students and colleagues remembered him not only for his acting career but for the role he played teaching others to fly.
One former student described Kapulnik online as a kind instructor who had helped teach him how to fly and said he had come to the United States while pursuing his dream of becoming an airline pilot.
Another tribute thanked Kapulnik for everything he had taught his students and remembered him as a “great human.”
His former acting agent, Zohar Jacobson, also paid tribute to him, describing Kapulnik as talented, intelligent, sensitive and modest.
Kapulnik is survived by his wife and three children, according to reports from Israel.
Far less information has been released publicly about Laska.
Authorities identified her as a 33-year-old Santa Monica resident, but officials have not disclosed her relationship to Kapulnik or explained why she was aboard the aircraft.
There has also been no official announcement about where the plane departed from or its intended destination.
Those questions could become clearer as federal investigators reconstruct the final minutes of the flight.
For now, authorities have cautioned against drawing conclusions about what caused the plane to crash.
The NTSB typically releases preliminary factual information before issuing a much more detailed final report determining the probable cause of an aviation accident.
Until that investigation is completed, exactly what caused Kapulnik’s aircraft to plunge into the California field remains unknown.
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