Steve Appleton, the influential CEO of Micron Technology Inc., died at about 9 a.m. Friday in a small, kit-built plane at the Boise, Idaho airport. He was 51, and had worked his way to the top job at Micron after starting on the factory floor in 1983. He was named CEO in 1994, and had received the SIA’s Robert N. Noyce award last year.

The board of directors of Micron said, “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.”  The company said it would offer more information later today.

In July 2004, Appleton was injured while flying a small acrobatic plane, but managed to give a keynote address later that month at Semicon West, even joking about his injuries.

D. Mark Durcan, president and chief operating officer, is expected to assume the CEO duties until a permanent replacement can be named. Durcan just last week said he planned to retire in August.

On Saturday (Feb. 4), Micron announced the appointment of Durcan as CEO. Durcan will also serve on the board. The board also announced the appointment of Director Robert E. Switz as chairman of Micron and Mark Adams as president.

Switz has served as a Director since 2006 and is the former chairman and CEO of ADC. He has previously served as chair of the Micron board’s audit and governance committees. Adams joined the company in 2006 and served most recently as vice president of worldwide sales.

“Steve was a true friend who will be dearly missed by all of us,” Durcan said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and our team members as we all grieve this tragic loss.”

The Associated Press quoted Boise airport spokeswoman Patti Miller as saying the  airplane was a fixed-wing, single-engine Lancair, a plane built from kits which have “design characteristics that allow the planes to fly much faster than most small planes.” The plane was reportedly on fire as it approached the airport and crashed in between two runways.

The AP reported that in 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a safety advisory to pilots because the planes are “prone to stalling during slow-speed operations close to the ground.”

An FAA analysis found that the planes have experienced fatal accident rates substantially higher than other small, personal use planes, including other types of planes made from kits, the advisory said.

According to a report in the Idaho Statesman, Appleton grew up in West Covina, Calif., and attended Boise State on a tennis scholarship, winning the Big Sky doubles championship in his senior season, 1982.

Boise State men’s tennis coach Greg Patton, who remained a friend of Appleton’s, said, “He was all about doing the best you could, striving to be the very best you could.”

The Semiconductor Industry Association noted that Appleton was a longstanding member of the SIA’s board of directors, and said he made “immense contributions to the semiconductor industry and our country.”

Brian Toohey, president of the SIA, said Appleton “was a visionary and a true leader in our industry. He will be deeply missed by the entire semiconductor community and our prayers and thoughts are with his family.”

Jim Handy, an analyst with Objective Analysis, said: “He was made president 20 years ago at age 31. That’s really something. He oversaw Micron’s acquisitions of a whole lot of DRAM companies as the industry consolidated, including the DRAM businesses of TI, IBM’s Manassas plant, Qimonda’s share of Inotera, Kobe Steel Semiconductor, etc. He really accomplished a lot.”

A memory expert, who requested his anonymity, added: “I had the utmost respect for Mr. Appleton and believe he was one of the few true visionaries in the industry. I believe that we are possibly on the verge of another period of restructuring due to the transition from computing to mobile applications as the primary target application for new technology developments, and the industry will miss his guidance.”

Hans Mosesmann, an analyst with Raymond James & Associates, said: “Those who knew Steve know that he simply cannot be replaced in terms of his vision, charisma, and good old fashioned American determination. We believe investors can be comforted by the fact that a large part of Appleton’s vision was in its final phases. Appleton believed that the memory industry would consolidate with two to three broad-based players at the end of the day. Ultimately, we believe the Micron’s appetite for acquisitions (at the right price) will remain without Appleton at the helm, and we still expect industry consolidation to continue over the long term.”

Meanwhile, as reported, there are rumors that Micron will make a bid for debt-ridden Elpida. It’s unclear if that deal will transpire or not.

This week, Micron is hosting its analyst day in Scottsdale, Ariz. There’s a possibility that the event may be postponed. “We do not expect management to unveil any key new initiatives at the analyst day. Instead, we think investors are more focused on the potential outcome of Elpida/Micron — and here we don’t anticipate an announcement in the near-future given the complexity of the situation,” said C.J. Muse, an analyst with Barclays Capital, in a new report.

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