Man Who Flew to Space With Shatner Killed in Plane Crash

Glen de Vries, 49, rode in Blue Origin rocket last month
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 12, 2021 2:34 PM CST
Man Who Flew to Space With Shatner Dies in Plane Crash
This photo provided by Blue Origin shows space passengers from left, Glen de Vries, Audrey Powers, William Shatner, and Chris Boshuizen on Oct. 13. De Vries died in a plane crash Thursday.   (Blue Origin via AP)

A man who traveled to space with William Shatner last month was killed along with another person when a small plane crashed in northern New Jersey, according to state police. Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City, and Thomas P. Fischer, 54, of Hopatcong, were aboard the single-engine Cessna 172 that went down Thursday in a wooded area of Hampton Township, per the AP. The aircraft had departed from Essex County Airport in Caldwell and was headed to Sussex Airport when the Federal Aviation Administration alerted public safety agencies to look for the missing plane around 3pm. Crews found the wreckage an hour later.

De Vries founded Medidata Solutions, a tech company, and was a trustee at Carnegie Mellon University. He traveled Oct. 13 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft, spending more than 10 minutes in space after launching along with Shatner and others. Fischer owned Fischer Aviation, a family-run flight school, and was its head instructor, according to public reports. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

(More William Shatner stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X