A month after traveling into space on a Blue Origin company ship, executive Glen de Vries was killed in a plane crash in New Jersey.
Vries, 49, of Manhattan, died when he was flying in a plane that fell in a wooded area Thursday afternoon in Hampton Township, about 40 miles northeast of New York City, police said. state of New Jersey.
Also killed in the accident was Thomas P. Fischer, a Glen de Vries flight school owner and instructor.
Glen de Vries, center, along with Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen and 'Star Trek' actor William Shatner, wave while at a press conference on the New Shepard rocket landing pad on October 13, 2021. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
In a statement the software company Dassault Systèmes, where the executive was the vice president of life sciences and health, lamented the tragic event.
"Our thoughts and support are with the Glen family," said a company spokesperson.
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According to CNN, Federal Aviation Administration records show that de Vries was certified as a private pilot with an instrument flight rating.
On October 13, De Vries became one of the crew members of Blue Origin's New Shepard ship, which also featured actor William Shatner, known for his
Star Trek
roles
,
and two other people.
They all flew to the frontier of space for a few minutes.
"The feeling is indescribable," says William Shatner of what it was like to experience weightlessness.
Oct. 14, 202102: 18
The company founded by Jeff Bezos also referred to the executive's death.
“We are devastated to learn of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries.
He brought a lot of 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, ”
said a Blue Origin spokesperson on Twitter.
As reported by The New York Times, in an interview with Carnegie Mellon University, of which he was a member of the board of trustees, he said that the sight of the planet during his short flight in the New Shepard gave him a “heightened sense of time. ”.
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"The passage of time, like the resources on earth, feels more precious with an expanded perspective," said de Vries.
