Steve Appleton, the CEO and chairman of semiconductor company Micron Technology, died this morning in a small plane crash in Boise, Idaho, the company said in a statement a short time ago.
Appleton, 51, was an avid pilot. He was the only person in the plane at the time of the accident at the Boise Airport, according to a report by the Idaho Statesman.
The newspaper identifies the plane as a Lancair experimental aircraft and notes that Appleton previously crashed an aerobatic plane in 2004 in the desert south of Boise.
“Our hearts go out to his wife, Dalynn, his children and his family during this tragic time,” said Micron in its statement. “Steve’s passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large.”
Micron says it expects to provide more information later today.
Appleton is the seond person from the Pacific Northwest tech community to die in a small plane crash in the last two months. Tom Phillips, a Microsoft veteran and general manager with Amazon Web Services, was involved in a crash in Michigan in December.
