A seasoned CBS meteorologist has died in a tragic plane crash that took place earlier this week. Roland Steadham died in a crash in Idaho. He was 67 years old. The news was confirmed by the TV station where he worked for the past 10 years.
“For the past decade, Roland Steadham guided people through storm after storm in Idaho,” said the station in a statement. “He loved to study the weather and shared it with people across Idaho. Roland’s excitement for the weather was contagious.”
“Roland often talked about his wife, Erin, and his six children and grandchildren,” continued the statement. “In recent years, he and his family have enjoyed their time kayaking throughout Idaho and spending time together grilling food in their backyard.”
Steadham was in an aircraft with another man, with the plane clipping a power line and crashing on the ice in the river. According to online flight data, the plane lost contact 12 minutes after takeoff, at around 10:55 am.
He was a pilot and was known for operating a small aircraft, having over 3000 flight hours under his belt. It's unknown if he was piloting the aircraft. He was a husband, a father of six, and a grandfather. “All of us will remember him talking with great love for Erin. Rarely did he have a conversation without sharing about his love for his family," continued the statement.
"We also send our condolences to the family of the other person who died in the plane crash today," they concluded.
More details of Steadham
Steadham was a graduate from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University and had a lengthy career in the field of meteorology, having worked at numerous stations across states like Florida, Utah, and Idaho. For his hobbies, he pursued skydiving and was a known animal lover.
"Roland loved his animals. It was often that his dog would accompany him to the station and watch his forecasts. He also liked to share updates with the team about his cats," said the station's tribute.
Many of his viewers left their own tributes online, especially those from the local community, sharing how much he impacted their lives in indirect ways.
“He was a friend that my wife and I would see often at the McDonald’s here in Star. He always had time to talk about the weather and his love of flying his plane,” read a comment on Facebook.