The CEO of Micron Technology, Inc., died when his Lancair kitplane crashed at Boise, Idaho, on Friday. Appleton was the sole occupant of the kitplane. An experienced airshow pilot who frequently performed at air shows around the country in both jets and aerobatic airplanes, Appleton was also an accomplished off-road racer and martial arts competitor. Micron, based in Boise, manufactures microprocessors, including computer memory.
Reports are that Appleton was flying his turbine-powered Lancair IV-P and had previously aborted on other takeoff. On the next one, he lost control of the airplane at an altitude of only a couple of hundred feet, the airplane crashing near the runway and burning. The IV-P is a four-place, pressurized airplane built from a kit manufactured by Lancair International, based in Redmond, Oregon. The version Appleton was piloting was, according to the FAA, outfitted with a turboprop engine. The NTSB is investigating the accident.
