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    Micron CEO Steve Appleton dies in plane crash

    By Andrew Couts | Digital Trends – Fri, Feb 3, 2012

    Steve Appleton, chairman and CEO of memory chip maker Micron Technology, died today after suffering fatal injuries in a plane crash at the Boise Airport in Idaho. He was 51.

    “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 said in a statement. 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.”

    According to the Idaho Press, Appleton was flying alone in “an experimental fixed wing single engine Lancair” aircraft. Just after takeoff from Boise Airport, Appleton told air traffic controllers that he needed to return.

    “I’d like to turn back in… and land.  Coming back in,” Appleton said, just before he lost control of the aircraft, according to NWCN.com.

    Appleton was a known daredevil. According to his Wikipedia page, Appleton’s “hobbies include scuba diving, surfing, wakeboarding, motorcycles and more recently off road car racing. His aviation background includes multiple ratings and professional performances at air shows in both propeller- and jet-powered aircraft. He also has a Black Belt in Taekwondo.” In 2010, Appleton took 7th overall in the epic Baja 1000 race, with a time of 20:32:18.

    In July of 2004, Appleton crashed one of his 20 planes while performing stunts over the Idaho desert. In that instance, he only sustained minor cuts and scrapes

    Appleton began his career at Micron, which makes DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory, back in 1983. He held a number of positions in the company before being named CEO in 1994.  He was only 34 at the time, which made him the third youngest CEO in the Fortune 500.

    Following news of Appleton’s accident, Micron, the largest memory chip maker in the US, suspended trading of its stock on Nasdaq. According to Dow Jones Newswires chip reporter Shara Tibken, Appleton’s death “comes at a time when the memory-chip market is going through a lot of changes. Prices have been falling and demand has been softening, largely due to PC and macro weakness, and some Asian rivals are struggling to stay in business. MU has been doing fairly well and is one of the stronger memory-chip makers, but it’s not immune to the market weakness. Meanwhile, [Micron] President Mark Durcan said last month he planned to retire at the end of August.”

    This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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    2 comments

    • mac
      mac  •  Lewiston, Idaho  •  3 mths ago
      Hard to feel sorry for this guy, not the first time he hs crashed, guess he didn't learn from the first one. He was or was going to be one of the 1% so it's for me it's really hard to feel anything other than humor when I read something like this, I know people won't like this so just let me tell you up front, I don't care what you think, rich getting richer and the poor going down hill. It's people like him and his buddies that are running this country into the ground.
      • Sami
        Sami 3 mths ago
        The guy was quite generous with his money to the state in which you live in and ran a company that employs thousands of workers in your state and elsewhere. If you talk to these employees, you would know how much he was admired. You sound very petty and jealous of someone else's success. Oh, and you sound like a Vandal, typical.
      • mac
        mac 3 mths ago
        i didn't see any of his F---king money so i still don't give a flying guess what.
    • ThomasS
      ThomasS  •  Marion, Wisconsin  •  3 mths ago
      He reminds me of Sir Richard Branson and Steve Fossett, the kind of leaders who live life to the fullest and--as the cliche goes--occasionally die doing the very things that they love. (Sir Richard will likely succumb while "doing" 72 virgins--and then get 72 more in the afterlife, that bloody--er, lucky--son-of-a-Brit!)

      Oh, and we can dispense with the "golden parachute" quips from here on out, okay?

      Rest in peace, Mr. Appleton. I wish I could have met you during your lifetime.
     Post a comment
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