Aviators call it the “dead man’s turn.”

When mechanical issues occur on takeoff, pilots are trained to fly straight ahead and land where they can.

“Of course, when you know the airport is right there behind you, it’s so tempting (to turn),” said Ryan DeLuca, a pilot of eight years who lives in Eagle. “You turn that quickly without any engine power, you’re really likely to stall the airplane.”

Micron CEO Steve Appleton appeared to do exactly that Friday, moments before his airplane crashed at the Boise Airport, killing him. He told the Boise control tower he was going to turn around and land moments after takeoff.

Instead, witnesses say, his engine stalled in the turn and the plane fell to the ground.

Appleton’s turn was complicated by the fact that the single-engine Lancair IV P-T he was flying requires more speed than many other planes to avoid a stall.

“If you take off and have a problem, the training is to go straight ahead and try to land in what you have in front of you,” said Jeff Edwards, a flight instructor and crash investigator who is president of the Lancair Owners and Builders Organization. “Don’t try to turn around. You can get into a big bank angle and you end up stalling the aircraft.

“… To have a survivable situation, you don’t need a lot of room to put it back down, stop it and walk away.”

FAA NOTES FATALITIES

Lancairs are challenging to fly — so much so that the rate of fatal accidents in them caught the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration in 2009.

The FAA gave notice to Lancair operators Sept. 25, 2009, that the planes had a “disproportionate” number of fatal accidents.

Lancairs accounted for 3 percent of the nation’s amateur-built airplanes and 16 percent of the fatal accidents in the 11 months prior to the notice, according to Bloomberg News.

Many of those crashes, like Appleton’s, occurred near the runway.

“Most Lancair incidents have been due to pilot error,” said Dick Knapinski, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wis. “Most of the accidents that have occurred in them have been people turning too sharply at too slow of speed and not so much of a mechanical situation.”

Edwards, who lives in St. Louis, built a Lancair similar to Appleton’s.

“Every single airplane in the world will stall,” he said. “It’s up to the pilot’s skill and experience and training to fly the airplane and not stall the airplane.”

Appleton’s airplane is classified as experimental, which is where the FAA categorizes planes built by amateurs from kits.

“The problem we have in the industry is the word ‘experimental’ because the connotation it has is not really correct for us,” said Doug Meyer, the director of marketing and sales for Redmond, Ore.-based Lancair International.

“It connotes that we’re trying something new and we don’t know if it’s going to work. That’s not what happens. These designs are very proven, very formulaic.”

THOUSANDS OF HOURS

It takes 1,000 to 3,000 hours to assemble an amateur-built airplane, Knapinski said. Owners are required to do at least 50.1 percent of the work themselves, keep meticulous records and submit the airplane for inspection before it flies.

“We often tell people it’s not one big project; it’s a series of a thousand small projects,” Knapinski said.

Appleton was not the original owner of his plane, Meyer said, and is not in the company’s database as a past client. The plane was certified as airworthy in 2007 and registered through November 2013 to Raleighwood Aviation of Raleigh, N.C. The tail number was N321LC.

The four-seat airplane featured a pressurized cabin and jet-driven propeller, which allowed it to fly at high altitude and speed.

$500,000 OR MORE

The model was discontinued a few years ago but planes like Appleton’s draw $500,000-$700,000 on the resale market, Meyer said. The kit cost $360,000 new, without an engine or instruments.

“Those airplanes are coveted for their performance, for their high speed,” Meyer said. “… That was a very involved kit to build. Very complex. Many people spent years to build them.

“It can be a demanding airplane to fly. … It’s not a beginner airplane.”

The kits are delivered to customers with the fuselage intact, but the rest must be assembled. Engines generally are purchased separately and come fully assembled.

Lancair has more than 1,000 airplanes flying, and the company has a strong reputation.

“If you take a look at the very broad spectrum of airplanes that can be built by individuals, it is at the top end,” Knapinski said.

APPEALING TO PILOTS

Amateur-built planes appeal to pilots for three reasons, Knapinski said: Some like the models available; some just like to build things; and some want the cost savings, which can be in six figures.

Another advantage: customization.

“You can stand back at the end of the journey you’re on and say, ‘I built my own airplane,’ ” Meyer said. “You can say, ‘I don’t like those seats in the Cessna. I want to have seats that look like a Ferrari.’ … It gives people a way to express their interest in aviation.”

More than 32,000 amateur-built airplanes are in service and there were 51 fatal accidents reported by the FAA in the last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, Knapinski said. Planes generally are inspected once a year or every 100 hours of flying time, whichever comes first, he said.

The EAA has 176,000 members worldwide, including Appleton. Appleton had been a member for about 15 years and attended the annual convention in Wisconsin.

Appleton had been piloting airplanes for about 25 years, performed stunts and owned several different models.

“He had a very high reputation … as a pilot, as a person and as a person who enjoyed giving back to aviation,” Knapinski said.

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398