Entrepreneur who flew with William Shatner onboard Blue Origin to space dies in plane crash
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De Vries a private pilot had founded his tech company Medidata Solutions in 1999 and was also the vice-chair at Dassault Systèmes.
Entrepreneur Glen de Vries, 49, who had taken the Blue Origin space flight with Star Trek legend William Shatner last month died in a plane crash in New Jersey.
The small aircraft crashed in Hampton around noon on Friday, police said while adding that there were two fatalities. Thomas Fischer was another man on board who died in the crash. The plane was reportedly a Cessna 172. Fisher was reportedly a flight instructor and the owner of an aviation school.
The US Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) has begun investigating the crash. Glen de Vries was a medical research entrepreneur and founder of Medidata Solutions. The plane was reportedly a Cessna 172.
Blue Origin said it was devastated to hear about Glen de Vries death, adding that, "He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates."
We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and to his fellow crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired. pic.twitter.com/1hwnjntTVs
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) November 12, 2021
"His passion for aviation, his charitable work, and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired," the spacecraft company added.
De Vries had undertaken the eleven-minute space journey with veteran star William Shatner,90, aboard the New Shepard spacecraft on October 13 along with NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen and Blue Origin vice president Audrey Powers.
De Vries had founded his tech company Medidata Solutions in 1999. He was also the vice-chair at Dassault Systèmes and a certified private pilot.
(With inputs from Agencies)