Actor and aviation enthusiast Guy Kapulnik was among two people killed when a light aircraft crashed nose-down in a remote field near Hesperia, California, on September 24.
Kapulnik, an Israeli national who had served in the Israel Defense Forces’ elite 669 search and rescue unit, had built a career spanning acting and aviation. He appeared in films including The Call of the Wild, Room 514, Salsa Tel Aviv, Watch Over Me and Lebanon, accumulating more than 30 IMDb credits.
Living in Los Angeles, Kapulnik had also worked as a flight instructor and was described by his family as a “man of action, curiosity, and adventure.”
The aircraft was a single-engine Aeronca Champion operated by Midfield Aviation of Apple Valley. It crashed in a remote field near Summit Valley Road in Hesperia, leaving the aircraft heavily mangled.
The second victim was identified as 33-year-old Taylor Laska of Santa Monica.
Kapulnik’s family remembered him as an actor, creator, sailor and aviation enthusiast who constantly pursued new adventures and challenges.
His memorial is scheduled to be held Wednesday in Karmei Yosef, Israel, where he grew up.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
