Investigators have not been able to locate the pilot logs in the wreckage of Steve Appleton’s plane or his hangar, so it is unclear how many times he flew the high-performance aircraft he acquired in late December.
But investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have interviewed enough people to conclude that Appleton flew the plane no fewer than three times since the plane arrived in Boise, said NTSB air safety investigator Zoe Keliher.
At least one person had been a passenger in the plane with the CEO of Micron Technology Inc. a few weeks before Friday’s crash at Boise Airport, according to NTSB investigators.
Maintenance records do not indicate Appleton or anyone else made any modifications to the plane after he got the single-engine kit-built Lancair IV P-T on Dec. 30 from a seller in Raleigh, N.C.
Since Friday, investigators have been sifting through the wreckage and examining airport surveillance footage for clues as to what happened.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane is registered to Raleighwood Aviation LLC in North Carolina. Appleton’s family members told NTSB that Appleton bought the plane, and records show it was flown from Raleigh to Boise on Dec. 30.
Keliher said she was investigating FAA records to determine the current ownership. Several online classified ads identify the seller as McQueen Campbell, who did not return phone calls or emails from the Statesman.
Online for-sale listings show the 2007-built plane was offered for $459,900.
NTSB investigators say Appleton first took the Lancair out of a hangar at Boise Airport and taxied onto a runway at 8:46 a.m. Friday. He took off and got the plane about 5 to 10 feet above the ground before calling the tower with an unspecified problem and said he was “going to land here and stop.”
The tower asked if he needed assistance. “Negative,” Appleton said.
He took the plane back to the runway and took off for a second time at 8:54 a.m. Witnesses say the plane climbed to between 100 and 200 feet off the ground, abruptly banked, appeared to stall and then rolled as it crashed to the ground less than two minutes later.
Appleton was an enthusiastic aviator who owned a variety of aircraft and flew stunt planes and performed in airshows. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said Appleton had been a member since 1988 and held an airline transport pilot certificate; held commercial privileges for airplanes, single-engine land and multi-engine seaplanes; and held private pilot privileges for single-engine seaplanes. He held an authorization for the experimental Hunter Viperjet, the association said.
Patrick Orr: 377-6219
