The Buckingham Post

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The chairman and CEO of flash memory manufacturer Micron died on Feb. 3 in a small plane crash in Idaho.  Steve Appleton was only 51.

Appleton was alone in his single-engine stunt plane when he died after being ejected from the place after it crashed a few minutes after takeoff.  The accident occurred at Boise Airport.

Appleton has been Micron’s chairman and CEO since 1994.  The company, which is headquartered in Boise, has been in existence since 1978.  Micron is the leading maker of DRAM, SDRAM, NANA, and NOR flash memory, as well as SSD and CMOS sensor chips.

The Boise State University graduate joined the company in 1983 and climbed the executive ladder swiftly.  Appleton was named president and chief operating officer in 1991.  When he became CEO, which came after Micron founder Joe Parkinson retired, Appleton was 34, which made him the third-youngest CEO in the Fortune 500.

Officials are currently investigating the crash and should have a report done by Feb. 10.  Supposedly, it had been Appleton’s second attempt to fly the plane that Friday morning.

Appleton was a qualified stunt pilot, and he had previously crashed a stunt plane in 2004.  This accident resulted in him having a broken back and punctured lung, as well as a lot of critics because many believed a key figure in a public company shouldn’t engage in such dangerous activities.

Appleton’s successor still hasn’t been named.  He is survived by his wife, Dalyn, and children.