Micron CEO Steve Appleton, who headed what was once Idaho's biggest employer, died in a plane crash about 9 a.m. Friday. Appleton was the only person in the plane, according to Boise Airport reports and Micron reports.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away this morning in a small plane accident in Boise," the company's board of directors said in a news release. "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."
All flags were half staff at the Micron campus in Boise Friday. Appleton was 51.
Appleton was born on March, 31, 1960. He grew up in West Covina, Calif., and attended Boise State on a tennis scholarship. He was the Big Sky doubles champion in 1982, his senior season.
“The guy is like the American Hero in a sense. He’s a self-made man, very competitive, incredible integrity. He loved athletics, loved sports, loved to compete,” said Boise State men’s tennis coach Greg Patton, a friend of Appleton’s. “He was all about doing the best you could, striving to be the very best you could.”
BSU women’s tennis coach Beck Roghaar said Appleton’s generosity in the tennis community was large not only financially, but large in the amount of time he took out of his busy schedule to mentor the tennis teams. “He took time with all the players, he came to the matches.”
Boise Mayor Dave Bieter said Appleton’s commitment to Boise was evident by his actions. When Micron made a global name for itself, the company could have moved its headquarters anywhere; Appleton could have picked a different locale to raise his family.
He chose to keep his family and his company in Boise -- and did it without fanfare. Bieter recalled how Appleton volunteered just like other parents at St. Joseph’s Catholic School. “He did volunteer time on the playground monitoring the kids,” Bieter said. “That’s says more than anything can about Steve Appleton. I don’t know anyone of his stature who would do that.”
“Idaho has lost a true champion, a great friend, and a visionary businessman," said Idaho Gov. Butch Otter. "Steve was someone who understood the value as well as the cost of excellence. He lived life to the fullest, and while he enjoyed great success in business and in life, he never lost his intensity or his drive.”
WORKING HIS WAY UP
According to Forbes magazine, Appleton was the 118th best-paid CEO in America.
But he started at Micron on the factory floor in 1983, and began working his way up. In 1991, he was appointed president and chief operating officer; in 1994, he was named chairman, chief executive officer and president. He assumed his position as CEO and chairman in 2007.
Trading in Micron stocks was halted after the crash. In its past fiscal year, which ended Sept. 1, Micron earned $167 million, or 17 cents per share, and had revenue of $8.8 billion.
Micron has named its No. 2 executive, D. Mark Durcan, as interim chief executive.
APPLETON WAS A PILOT
Appleton was flying a Lancair experimental aircraft, a single-engine prop plane, when he crashed Friday morning.
According to National Transportation Safety Board investigator Zoe Keliher, Appleton took off at about 8:46 a.m, got the plane five to 10 feet off the ground and landed again. He returned to the hangar, then took off again at 8:54 a.m.; he got to between 100 and 200 feet when, according to witnesses, the plane suddenly stopped, banked and fell to the ground.
It crashed between two runways.
The wreckage was badly burned, but Appleton's ID and other personal effects were found at the crash site. Appleton's body was found in the wreckage, outside of the plane. The runway was dry and there were only light winds in the area at the time, according to Keliher. Few birds were in the air at the time.
Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg said Friday afternoon that the body had been positively identified as Appleton through fingerprint analysis.
PREVIOUS CRASH
Friday’s crash was Appleton’s second accident since 2004, when he crashed a high-performance aerobatic plane in the desert south of Boise.
That crash occurred on July 8, 2004. Witnesses said Appleton and passenger Michael Duffy crawled from the wreckage; Appleton was flown by helicopter to a hospital.
Federal officials later concluded that "pilot error" was the cause of the 2004 plane crash. The NTSB ruled that Appleton failed "to maintain clearance with terrain during descent while conducting an aerobatic maneuver."
Check back at Idahostatesman.com later for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
