Glen de Vries , one of the passengers of the second tourist flight of Blue Origin , died Thursday after crashing the small plane in which he traveled.
Glen de Vries , companion of William Shatner on the second Blue Origin flight to the frontier of space a few weeks ago, died at the age of 49 in a plane crash recorded this past Thursday. De Vries, 49, was flying over Sussex County, New Jersey in a Cessna 172 with Thomas P. Fischer, who also died from the impact.
The accident is under investigation by the United States Federal Aviation Administration. According to preliminary reports, the tragedy occurred around 3 p.m. on Thursday. Glen de Vries was a co-founder of the Medidata Solutions clinical research platform, and was a private jet flier in his spare time.
“Our thoughts and support are with the Glen family, ” a Dassault Systèmes spokesperson said in a statement Friday. “Our condolences also go to our MEDIDATA team, which Glen co-founded. His tireless energy, empathy and pioneering spirit left their mark on all who knew him. We will truly miss Glen, but his dreams, which we share, live on: We will pursue progress in life sciences and healthcare as passionately as he is. “
Space Traveler with Blue Origin
On his official Twitter account, Blue Origin shared de Vries’s photo: “We are devastated to learn of Glen de Vries’ sudden passing. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and his fellow crew members. His passion for aviation, his charitable work and his dedication to his craft will long be revered and admired. “
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
De Vries was part of the second space flight for Blue Origin, the company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos and seeking to dominate the growing trend in space tourism. The crew included Australian businessman Chris Boshuizen, executive Audrey Powers and Star Trek’s celebrated “Captain Kirk,” the nonagenarian William Shatner.
“I’m actually looking forward to seeing Earth from a different perspective than I’ve had before,” he said in a pre-launch interview. “I can’t wait to look out that window and feel about humanity and our planet differently than I’ve ever had the chance.”