The identities of a pilot and passenger killed in a small plane crash in Hesperia, California, have been revealed.
According to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office, the pilot was identified as Israeli Actor Guy Kapulnik, 46.
The passenger was revealed to be Taylor Laska, a 33-year-old resident of Santa Monica.
The FAA and NTSB have since launched an investigation into the crash to determine the factors that led to the tragic accident.
San Bernardino County Fire Protection District crews are on scene of a single-engine aircraft crash in the area of Summit Valley Road and Maple Avenue in the City of Hesperia. Firefighters confirmed two fatalities. Both individuals were located inside the aircraft.
The incident… pic.twitter.com/57wsHOuDIS
— San Bernardino County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) September 24, 2026
Per The New York Post:
An actor turned aviation fanatic has been identified as one of two who died in a Southern California plane crash last week.
A light aircraft containing Guy Kapulnik crashed nose-down in a remote field Thursday morning in Hesperia, north of Lake Arrowhead.
Kapulnik was an Israeli who served in the Israeli Defense Forces in its elite 669 search and rescue unit.
He acted in movies like 2020’s Call of the Wild, “Room 514,” “Salsa Tel Aviv,” “Watch Over Me,” and “Lebanon.” Kapulnik has more than 30 IMDB credits in his career.
Israeli actor Guy Kapolnik was killed on Thursday when his single-engine aircraft crashed into a field in Hesperia, California, according to the Victorville Daily Press. https://t.co/lPTJuTPdOV
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) September 29, 2026
In a statement, the family of Kapulnik shared, “Guy was a man of action, curiosity, and adventure.”
They added, “An actor and creator, a skipper and seaman. Throughout his life, he moved between the stage and the camera, the sea and the skies, and dared again and again to choose new paths and do the things he loved.”
Besides being an actor, Kapulnik also worked as a flight instructor.
