CEO Tech Giant Killed in Plane Crash
- Posted on February 3, 2012 at 1:17pm by
Becket Adams
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In this Dec. 12, 2005 file photo, Steve Appleton, CEO and chairman of Micron Technology Inc., looks out through the engine compartment of his stunt jet airplane inside the hanger where he keeps several different types of aircraft in Boise, Idaho.
Steve Appleton, the chief operating officer and chairman of Micron, died Friday morning in a small plane crash in Boise, the company said. He was 51.
Micron spokesman Dan Francisco confirmed Appleton’s death in a release, and trading in Micron stocks has been halted.
Appleton, an avid pilot, was the only one in the experimental fixed-wing plane when it crashed at the Boise airport.
Micron Technology Inc. is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets a full range of DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory.
Ada County dispatch received reports of a small plane that was on fire before it landed. Airport spokeswoman Patti Miller said the airplane is a fixed wing single engine Lancair.
In a prepared statement, Micron’s board of directors said, “Steve’s passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large.”
It’s not the first time Appleton has been in a small plane crash, and questions have been raised in the past about whether the head of a large corporation should be engaging in that hobby. On July 8, 2004, Appleton sustained a punctured lung, head injuries, ruptured disk and broken bones after his stunt plane crashed in the desert east of Boise.
Appleton didn’t immediately reveal the severity of injuries he sustained in that crash, and in 2006 a corporate governance expert began questioning disclosures about the crash.
“It’s not prescribed in rule or law, but you need to communicate so people have a fair understanding to make an investor decision, and that decision is to buy, sell or hold,” Hank Boerner, managing director of New York-based Rowen & Blewett, told The Idaho Statesman.
Appleton, who was an avid pilot known for doing aerobatic stunts, was injured in a plane crash in 2004, according to Business Insider.
Micron’s stock is currently halted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Wilma
Posted on February 6, 2012 at 9:00amProfessional athletes refrain from participating in activities outside their sport that may result in physical injuries that will affect their careers. Sounds like good advice for those important positions as well.
Report Post »rdietz7
Posted on February 5, 2012 at 9:56pmCool person. Probably not to many people on this board are capable of replacing him.
Report Post »ItTakesFaith
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 3:46pmFirst of all, may God Bless Steve’s family during this very difficult time… I know all too well what it is like to lose a father in a downed plane!
As to the stream of slanderous comments from our resident “safety Nazi’s” who climb out of their padded rubber homes every time someone is killed while actually living a life of passion… keep in mind, the West was not won by cowboys riding horses while wearing helmets and seat belts…! The very same drive that caused Mr. Appleton to get behind the stick of a high-preformance aircraft, is what compelled him to rise to the top of tech leader Micron!
As for his choice of aircraft, Lancair is the premiere General Aviation plane in the sky! It uses nothing but the very best of technology, and is where such advances are made in airplanes today. He couldn’t pick a better ride in the sky! Perhaps unfortunately, the wealthy CEO Appleton was not flying the newest model offered by Lancair, the aptly named “Evolution” that is both faster (up to an astonishing 400mph!) and easier to control (by way of an airfoil designed by a sailplane designer). Instead, he was flying the Lancair IV-P, which is a pressurized version of a slightly older airframe, that is more difficult to control (a significantly higher stall speed that requires faster landings!). There is nothing inherently “unsafe” about the IV-P, it is merely more demanding and less forgiving of pilot error.
Our prayers are with you and yours…
Report Post »notreally
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 7:21amDon‘t know whether it’s true today but when I flew for the Navy and then Pan Am the highest accident rates occurred among doctors, lawyers and dentists. All clever people but…not that clever. You can kill yourself flying airplanes. It takes a high degree of “presence” to be able to function in deadly situations, which is why Pan Am used to hire aircraft carriers pilots.
Report Post »Mil-Dot
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 8:31amTrue. Just because you have the money to buy such a toy does not mean that you can handle it. It is the same reason they buy Mercedes or BMWs-status. But, I am not knocking the professionals. At least they busted their butts in school paid the high price and sacrifice for their success. Can’t say that for the idiots in the other leading story on the blaze.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 11:53amIt‘s not the fist crash he’s had. It is the last, though.
Report Post »diablamonkey
Posted on February 5, 2012 at 1:33pmyou can kill yourself on a bike, a trike. a ladder, a car- why don’t we get rid of everything and we all just walk- people have the right to take risks or not- you can’t save everybody- no one gets out of this life alive- get over it
Report Post »oiljackpot
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 6:02amToo bad. Condolences to the family and company.
Report Post »flynlownslo
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 11:11pmUhhh…Iacocca isn’t dead yet.
Report Post »chillertek1965
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 10:08pmAll nay-sayers need to watch the movie “The Worlds Fastest Indian” ….”At the End of Your Life, It Will All Mean Nothing If You Don’t Take Risks” Anthony Hopkins
Report Post »Bob
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 9:05pmMove to North Korea, you’ll love it there.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 7:33pmMy sympathy & prayers go out to his family, friends & co-workers. As stated in Secondhand Lions, “He died with his boots on”. God bless all who knew & loved him.
Report Post »cranberry
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 5:55pmPretty sad. I worked for Micron, good company. Good job. Got laid off. He was my age, I just wouldn’t take chances like that if i ran a huge organization and had lots of bucks to spend, life is too precious. Too bad he chose high risk hobbies. I think fate was telling him something after the first plane accident, whaddya think? sheesh. RIP.
Report Post »Iam4America
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 4:57pmRIP Steve. Our sympathy goes out to your family.
Report Post »dannyo
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 4:52pmi smell a conspiracy, i.e., didn’t obama just accept a job resume in his on-line chatfest from a lady whose out-of-work husband is a……semi-conductor engineer??????
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:57pmExperimental aircraft, many if not most of which are built from kits, do not have great safety records. I have no reason to believe that Lancair is any better or worse than others, but a Google of “Lancair crash” produces over 80,000 hits.
Report Post »demsaredumb
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 5:04pmrightwing you fly one? what is your knowledge or expertise? 80000 hits on Lancair crash does not mean a thing. They are extremely safe, I have been flying one for over 25 years I know about experimentals, look up Cessna if yo want to see plane crashes.
I am very sorry another man has lost his life doing what he loved to do.
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 11:51pmDems,
Report Post »I stated clearly that I personally have no reason to think one way or the other regarding Lancair. I agree that the number of Google hits does not in and of itself mean a lot. On the other hand, if we found, oh, three hits, and we knew that some thousand(s) of that particular aircraft were actively flying, then we might conclude that this case was so exceptional as to not raise any alarm. That does not seem to be the case here. I quote: ““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.” That is from :
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-03/micron-chief-s-lancair-plane-had-disproportionate-crash-rate-faa-says?category=%2F
That I fly one or do not fly one matters not at all, nor does it matter that those at the FAA fly one or not.
flynlownslo
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 11:52pmWhile I am a pilot, I’ve never flown anything remotely as high performance as a Lancair. After reviewing the NTSB accident database I find 41 fatalities in these aircraft. That does seem high for an aircraft that is not produced in significant volume. However, what struck me most was that the probable causes of the accidents boiled down to pilot error in all but one or possibly two cases (one burned after impact preventing comprehensive analysis). Those couple cases involved failure of the powerplant which is not produced by Lancair. In the majority of the these cases I believe the Lancair was just too much airplane for the pilots. The Lancair IV involved in most of these accidents flies up to 330 mph and stalls at 75. Pilots often refer to “getting behind the airplane” in these situations.
Report Post »At those speeds, when things go wrong, they go wrong in a hurry.
flipper1073
Posted on February 4, 2012 at 8:38amSteve Appleton was a Stunt Pilot,Youngest CEO(34) of a Furtune 500 Company,
All around Great Guy,He loved Idaho, Boise, BSU, an Flying He was one of the Guy’s you see at Airshows doing barrelrolls,inverts, stalls (were you go straight up until you stall then freefall) with smoke trails.He even owned a Migg Fighter Jet painted Orange if I remember correctly.
He died doing what he loved FLYING. He will be greatly missed by Idaho,an everyone who knew him.
GOD BLESS and Rest in Peace Steve Appleton
Report Post »packsack54
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:45pmRemember count 1,2,3 and your life has changed. Enjoy life everyday, because the next day might now be there for you and family.
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 4:00pmPack:
Report Post »I get your point, in spades…, but a count of 1 will do the trick. I am constantly amazed by the difference that being here or there over the space of a second or so ends up being a life altering thing…, and it happens every day.
TSUNAMI-22
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:28pmDamn. For a quick second I thought it might have been Soros.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:30pmNope. Only the good die young.
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