Scott D. Anderson

Scott D. Anderson
Anderson circa 1990
Born	(1965-05-02)May 2, 1965 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	March 23, 1999(1999-03-23) (aged 33) Duluth, Minnesota
Cause of death	Plane crash
Nationality	United States
Education	Stanford University
Alma mater	University of Minnesota
Occupation	Air National Guard F-16 pilot, 179th Fighter Squadron flight instructor, Cirrus Aircraft test pilot & flight operations officer, inventor, canoeist, author, engineer
Years active	1987–1999
Known for	Cirrus Airframe Parachute System test pilot; Distant Fires (novel); Scott D. Anderson Leadership Foundation (scholarship)
Home town	Duluth, Minnesota
Awards	American Library Association Best Book For Young Adults—Distant Fires (1991) Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee (2010)

Major Scott Douglas Anderson (May 2, 1965 – March 23, 1999) was a late 20th-century American polymath: Air National Guard F-16 pilot, instructor pilot, general aviation test pilot, Flight Operations Officer, engineer, inventor, musician, football player, outdoor adventurist, and award winning author. He is perhaps most notable for his achievements flight testing the first certified whole-plane parachute recovery system, which is credited for saving over 130 lives as a standard equipment on Cirrus Aircraft's line of single-engine aircraft.

Anderson was killed near the Duluth International Airport while testing the first production model Cirrus SR20. He became posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions to the development and advancement of aviation in the state. The Scott D. Anderson Leadership Foundation was created in his honor.

Scott Anderson and his family moved to Duluth, Minnesota when he was six years old. He graduated from Duluth East High School as a star football player and went on to attend the University of Minnesota. As an undergraduate engineering student-intern and a member of Minnesota Power's Research and Development team, Anderson earned recognition as co-inventor on a U.S. patent. He continued his college career later at Stanford University, where he led an undergraduate team to build a two-person submarine. Anderson graduated from Stanford with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and History.