Actor Guy Kapulnik and Passenger Taylor Laska Killed in California Plane Crash
Israeli actor and flight instructor Guy Kapulnik, 46, and passenger Taylor Laska, 33, died after a small plane crashed into a field near Hesperia Airport in California.
The fatal accident happened on Thursday, September 24, when the single-engine aircraft went down near Summit Valley Road and Telephone Canyon Road. Emergency services were called at 9:53 a.m. local time, and both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. Local authorities identified Kapulnik as the pilot and Laska as the passenger.
The aircraft, an Aeronca Champion, was found nose-down in an open, brush-covered field roughly a few miles from Hesperia Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, while the circumstances that caused the aircraft to go down remain unknown.
From acting to aviation
Kapulnik had built a career in the film and television industry before pursuing his longstanding interest in aviation.
He appeared in the 2009 war film Lebanon, directed by Samuel Maoz. The movie went on to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
After moving to the United States, Kapulnik continued developing his passion for flying. According to reports, he obtained his private pilot’s licence in 2015 and later became a commercial pilot and flight instructor, working in the Los Angeles area.
His work in aviation ultimately became another major part of his professional life.
The aircraft involved in the crash was reportedly operated by Midfield Aviation, a flight school and aircraft rental company based at nearby Apple Valley Airport.
Friends remember Kapulnik
News of Kapulnik’s death prompted tributes from people who knew him both personally and professionally.
His former acting agent, Zohar Jacobson, described him as an “extraordinary” person, remembering him as a talented actor who was intelligent, sensitive and modest.
Other tributes shared online came from people who knew him through aviation. One person described Kapulnik as a flight instructor who had taught them to fly and remembered him as a kind man who had come from Israel to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot.
Kapulnik had lived in Los Angeles for several years and is survived by his wife and three children.
Passenger also died at the scene
Laska, 33, was a resident of Santa Monica and was the passenger aboard the aircraft.
Authorities have not publicly established what relationship, if any, she had with Kapulnik.
The crash remains under investigation. The FAA’s preliminary information described the aircraft as having crashed under unknown circumstances, and officials have not announced a cause.
As investigators work to establish what happened in the moments before the aircraft struck the ground, Kapulnik is being remembered for two very different chapters of his life — first as an actor and later as a pilot and instructor who pursued his passion for aviation.