Beloved weatherman Roland Steadman has sadly died in a plane crash. The veteran CBS meteorologist and father was killed in a plane crash after his aircraft clipped a power line and plummeted into an icy river in rural Idaho. The small plane reportedly struck the line before crashing down onto ice in the water, officials said.
Steadham, 67, was a chief meteorologist at Boise-based CBS affiliate CBS2, and was one of two people killed in Tuesday’s plane crash on the Payette River near Emmett, Idaho in the US. The identity of the second man on board has not been released.
Deputies said the crash happened after “preliminary information indicates that a small plane clipped a power line and crashed upon the ice in the river.”
CBS2 said Steadham was “widely respected as an accomplished pilot,” and “operated a small aircraft out of Emmett,” as they issued a statement following the tragic news, which read: "It is with great sadness that we share that beloved CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Roland Steadham died in a plane crash on Tuesday.
Read more: Spider Man legend dies at 38 as emotional tributes pour in
Read more: Heartbreak as RuPaul's Drag Race star dies after 'devastating tragedy'
He and another person were on the plane when it crashed on the Payette River near Emmett."
They described the weather presenter as a "beloved member of the community" who often talked about his wife, Erin, and his six children and grandchildren.
The statement concluded: "The thoughts and prayers from all of us at CBS2 are with Roland’s family, friends, and flying community. We also send our condolences to the family of the other person who died in the plane crash today."
An experienced flyer, a week before the crash Steadham visited an aviation class at Payette River Regional Technical Academy to talk about his passion for flying.
Tributes have poured in from viewers, as one person wrote on Facebook, "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."
“God bless Roland’s family! We lost a beautiful person today doing what he loved to do,” another added.
NBC meteorologist John Morales tweeted: "I am shocked and saddened to report that former WTVJ Miami chief meteorologist Roland Steadham perished in an aviation accident today. I worked next to him at Telemundo 51 and eventually stepped into his shoes on NBC 6. Strength to his family."
Also an avid skydiver, Steadham graduated from both Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.
He worked at several different outlets as chief meteorologist, including Miami-based NBC affiliate WTVJ, CBS affiliate KUTV in Salt Lake City, ABC affiliate KTVX also in Salt Lake City, and finally CBS2 in Boise.
Steadham is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
