Glen de Vries, William Shatner’s space buddy dies in tragic plane crash

Glen de Vries, William Shatner’s space buddy on Blue Origin’s second flight to the frontier of space a few weeks ago dies in tragic plane crash.

De Vries, 49, was flying a Cessna 172 over Sussex County, New Jersey with Thomas P. Fischer, who also died on impact. The tragic plane crash in which de Vries and Fischer have sadly lost their lives is under investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to preliminary reports, the tragedy occurred on Friday, November 12 under unknown circumstances.

Glen de Vries was co-founder of the clinical research platform Medidata Solutions, and was involved in private jet flying in his spare time. Cessna 172 is a light aircraft used in flight training and also recreational flying. Nobody thought that when he climbed aboard, Glen de Vries dies in tragic plane crash, a hobby he loved so much.

“Our thoughts and support go out to Glen’s family,” a Dassault Systemes spokesman said in a statement on Friday. “Our deepest 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 with as much passion as he did”.

On its official Twitter account, Blue Origin shared the photo of de Vries: “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 his crewmates. His passion for aviation, his charitable work and his dedication to his craft will be revered and admired for a long time to come.”

Blue Origen was founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, which is seeking to gain a foothold in the growing trend of space tourism. The crew included Australian businessman Chris Boshuizen, executive Audrey Powers and Star Trek’s famous “Captain Kirk”, the nonagenarian William Shatner.

“I’m actually looking forward to seeing Earth from a different perspective than I’ve ever 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 in a different way than I’ve ever had the opportunity.”

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