Man who went to space with William Shatner on Blue Origin dies in plane crash

FILE - Glen de Vries, right, takes a look as William Shatner, left, shows what rocket lift off did to his face during a media availability at the spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. Glen de Vries, 49, and Thomas P. Fischer, 54, died in crash of a single-engine Cessna 172 that went down Thursday, Nov. 11, in a wooded area of Hampton Township, N.J. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Glen de Vries (right) was among four passengers, including William Shatner (left), on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.

A man who traveled to space with William Shatner last month has been killed in a plane crash.

One-time space tourist Glen de Vries, 49, from New York, has died after the small plane he was in crashed in a wooded area of northern New Jersey in the United States on Thursday, police said.

Thomas Fischer, 54, of Hopatcong, who was also aboard the plane died.



De Vries was an instrument-rated private pilot, and Fischer owned a flight school. Authorities have not said who was piloting the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The small plane left Essex County Airport in Caldwell and was headed to Sussex Airport.

It went missing at around 3pm, when the Federal Aviation Administration alerted public safety agencies to look for the plane.

The wreckage was found in Hampton Township at around 4pm.

William Shatner, center right, speaks as Audrey Powers, left, Chris Boshuizen, center right, and Glen de Vries all look on. Credit: AP

De Vries made a 10-minute trip to the edge of space on October 13 on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft with Shatner and two others.

De Vries said after the trip: “It’s going to take me a while to be able to describe it. It was incredible.”

Blue Origin tweeted on Friday: “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.”


ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore's video report on October 13 as William Shatner, Glen de Vries and two others made a trip to space


De Vries co-founded Medidata Solutions, a software company specialising in clinical research, and was the vice chair of life sciences and health care at Dassault Systemes, which acquired Medidata in 2019.

He also served on the board of Carnegie Mellon University.