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A small experimental plane piloted by the CEO and chairman of Micron Technology Inc. crashed after take-off Friday at the Boise airport, killing the head of the Idaho memory chipmaker who was responsible for building one of Utah's most important technology companies.
Steve Appleton, a professional stunt pilot and former motor cross racer, was the only person aboard the plane when witnesses said it steeply banked, stalled and rolled to the ground, according to Zoe Keliher, air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. It was the aircraft's second take-off attempt of the morning.
Trading in the company's stock was halted after the company announced the death.
"Steve's passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large," Micron's board of directors said in a prepared statement.
Micron is one of many companies that make semiconductor chips for various devices, including computers, mobile devices, cars and industrial systems. It makes products under the Lexar and Crucial brands, and is one of Idaho's largest and most influential employers
In 1995, Appleton presided over the decision to build a $1.3 billion computer-chip plant in Lehi, picking the Utah County town over sites in two other states. But about a year later, Micron postponed completion of the plant because of a weak market for flash memory chips.
Then, in 2005, Micron entered into a deal with Intel to invest $5 billion to complete the giant, 2.3 million-square-foot plant that produces some of world's most advanced chips used in such devices as digital cameras. Micron and Intel are the joint owners of the IM Flash Technologies plant that employs about 1,600 people, making it one of Utah's largest high-tech companies.
In a statement, IM Flash's Co-CEOs, Keyvan Esfarjani and Rod Morgan said: "The IM Flash Technologies family is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Steve Appleton. Steve's leadership at Micron and his vision for the industry paved the way to build a state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility in Lehi, and his great support to IM Flash was highly influential to our success. His shocking loss is a tragedy we are all coming to terms with. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Dalynn, his children and the entire Micron family."
Appleton, 51, started on the factory floor of Micron in 1983 and worked his way up. In 1991, he was appointed president and chief operating officer, and in 1994 he was appointed to the position of chairman, CEO and president. Micron is one of Idaho's largest employers.
Questions have been raised in the past about whether Appleton, as a CEO, should be engaging in the risky hobby. On July 8, 2004, he sustained a punctured lung, head injuries, a ruptured disk and broken bones after his stunt plane crashed in the desert east of Boise.
The NTSB's Keliher said Appleton's first take-off ended abruptly — witnesses said the plane got only about 5 feet off the ground —before he re-landed and returned to a hangar for about five minutes.
Witnesses reported that the plane then returned to the runway to take off again, Keliher said, but Appleton almost immediately told the tower he needed to turn around and re-land. His plane was about 100 or 200 feet in the air before witnesses said it crashed and caught fire. Appleton's body was thrown from the wreckage.
Keliher said the remains of the pilot weren't immediately identifiable, but Appleton's wallet and other belongings were among the debris. She said the body was being fingerprinted by authorities.