Steve Appleton Dead: Micron CEO Dies In Plane Crash (UPDATE)

Steve Appleton, Chairman and CEO of Micron Technology, Inc., died in a small plane crash on Friday, according to a statement released by the company's board of directors.

Appleton was 51 years old.

From the board's statement: "Our hearts go out to his wife, Dalynn, his children and his family during this tragic time. Steve's passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large."

The company plans to release more details later in the day.

According to Business Insider, Appleton had been previously injured in a separate plane crash in 2004.

Founded in 1978, Idaho-based Micron is one of the world's top manufacturers of gadget components like solid state memory drives (SSD), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and flash memory, as well as complementary metal–oxide–semiconductors (CMOS) and more.

Appleton joined the company in 1983. He was named president and chief operating officer in 1991, and in 1994 was named chairman, chief executive officer and president. He stepped down from his role as president in 2007 but remained chairman and CEO until his death.

UPDATE 1: The Associated Press reports the following: "Appleton, a professional stunt plane pilot and former motocross racer, was the only one in the plane when it crashed at the Boise airport."

UPDATE 2: Idaho's KBOI2 has confirmed with authorities that Appleton was piloting and experimental fixed wing single engine Lancair. The craft crashed soon after taking off. "[W]itnesses reportedly saw the plane climb between 100-200 feet, make a sharp maneuver, stall and then roll into the ground," writes KBOI 2.

Comments

[DismayedRepub]

08:53 PM on 02/05/2012

Tower audio is here: http://nycaviation.com/2012/02/audio-chilling-recording-captures-final-seconds-of-boise-plane-crash-that-killed-micron-technology-ceo/

[flashfyre]

11:23 AM on 02/05/2012

Condolences all around...it sounds thin to say it at this time, but with risk comes reward, and he clearly enjoyed his hobby. I am not a pilot but pilots have told me that the lancair IV performance numbers are impressive and the plane is easy and fun to fly.

[cassie711]

03:57 AM on 02/05/2012

I am REALLY sick of people who have no idea what the classification experimental means jumping on it, like this is not a plane tested and certified through the FAA. IT IS.

[SolarArray]

08:35 PM on 02/04/2012

Sheesh, a small experimental plane and they didn't have a parachute system set up on the top of the plane? There are no soft shoulders up there, even at a couple of hundred feet. RIP.

[jsgaetano]

11:46 PM on 02/04/2012

Parachutes need a certain amount of space to inflate. Also, he'd have needed to be free of the debris. That's why fighter jets jettison the pilot out of the aircraft (and it's not a painless process either, sometimes the pilots can get broken legs from the ejection).

[cassie711]

03:58 AM on 02/05/2012

are you nuts? you know nothing about experimental classification or planes.

[SolarArray]

11:06 AM on 02/05/2012

You are absolutely correct, I know nothing about planes.

http://tinyurl.com/7lwmeko

[mikefly562]

02:05 PM on 02/04/2012

RIP....Micron is an excellent company, and this is such a huge loss.

[drmr]

02:03 PM on 02/04/2012

Gravity wins again

[jsgaetano]

11:44 PM on 02/04/2012

The problem wasn't gravity, it was the rapid deceleration.

[morris111]

05:01 AM on 02/05/2012

Blunt force truama....

[there4yababy]

11:56 AM on 02/04/2012

A man that put people and his company over himself. I remember a time while working for the man, that as long as micron did not make a profit, he would not make a paycheck (yeah he was wealthy, but he didn't continue getting wealthy, while his company, and employees, did without). RIP Steve!
We do, and will always miss you. Micron will never be the same.

[dwilson424]

11:51 AM on 02/04/2012

“The Lancair fatal accident rate is substantially higher than both personal-use general aviation as well as the overall fatal accident rate for all amateur-built experimental aircraft,” the FAA said in the notice.

Although designed to be built at home, the four-seat plane is made of carbon fiber to reduce weight and has a pressurized cabin so it can fly at high altitudes, according to the Lancair website. It’s categorized by the FAA as an experimental aircraft, meaning it’s not subject to the same certification standards as a factory-built plane by Cessna Aircraft, a unit of Textron Inc.

Lancairs represented about 3 percent of the U.S. amateur- built fleet and were involved in 16 percent of the group’s fatal accidents in the previous 11 months, the FAA said in its 2009 notice.

During that period, 60 percent of the fatal accidents resulted from loss of control, and most of those crashes occurred near the runway.

[cassie711]

04:00 AM on 02/05/2012

oh please. provide reputable source.

[dvmweb1984]

11:35 AM on 02/04/2012

This was his second significant accident in a plane. Crashed an Extra a few years ago and nearly died while doing tricks. Just because he was smart and financially powerful does not mean he could cheat physics. To be a good pilot one must be sensible and have a strong respect for gravity.

[westcoastsc]

11:24 AM on 02/04/2012

Who benefits?

[icon22]

11:05 AM on 02/04/2012

This should be a teaching moment for our leftist friends. You see, no matter how much or how little money one has in our short time on earth, all that really matters is how you will be judged by God upon your death and whether the next trillion years or so will be spent in paradise or somewhere really awful. As a matter of fact, being poor gives one an advantage because as Jesus said "so the last will be first and the first last" I guess that's why you see so many poor people, like those in the Latino and African American communities, who, although may be poor, are seemingly very happy. It's no coincidence that these people are very religeous and know the truth. Unfortunately, we have so many white liberals, who have a disdain for God and spend their lives covetting what others have obtained and at the same time, try to rile up the poor, in hopes of pitting one American against the other. In a way though, you have to feel sorry for these people, as they are blinded to the truth!

[realpragmatist]

10:58 AM on 02/04/2012

I think a man is dead and his family and real friends will miss him for life, especially if he has been fair in his life.
We should leave it with that, and if possible pray for his soul and for the peace of mind for his dear ones. Everything else can be left alone, at least for now.

[chucknchar t]

12:04 PM on 02/04/2012

Put poverty and unfair wealth distribution on hold? Hunger hurts and can be just as deadly.

[mosuro]

02:11 PM on 02/04/2012

what do you think you are going to get, a share of his life insurance proceeds?

[thesciguy]

10:49 AM on 02/04/2012

Never mind

[thesciguy]

10:48 AM on 02/04/2012

Was he the only one on board?

[Anabelle Whitepaws]

10:35 AM on 02/04/2012

R.I.P.