Glen de Vries - latest: Lauren Sanchez leads tributes after Bezos Blue Origin passenger dies in plane crash
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Glen de Vries, 49, the businessman who flew into space with Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin last month, died in a small plane crash on Thursday.
The plane came down in Sussex County, New Jersey, just before 3 pm. Mr de Vries and Thomas Fischer, 54, were killed in the crash. The Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the incident. Mr de Vries was a private pilot in his spare time.
A trained molecular biologist, he co-founded the clinical research platform Medidata Solutions, which has managed more than 25,000 clinical trials involving 7 million patients. The company was acquired by Dassault Systems in 1999 for $5.8bn.
In October, Mr de Vries spent over 10 minutes in space with actor William Shatner, Australian entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen, and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers.
A statement from Blue Origin reads: “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.”
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NTSB says it’s investigating crash
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday that it was investigating a crash that matched the location and plane model of the accident that killed Glen de Vries.
“The NTSB is investigating the crash Thursday of a Cessna C172 in Branchville, New Jersey,” the agency said on Twitter.
As a general policy, the NTSB and FAA do not identify victims of accidents.
Blue Origin pays respects to Glen de Vries
Blue Origin on Friday mourned one of its very first astronauts.
“We are devastated to hear of the sudden passing of Glen de Vries,” the private space travel company said. “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.”
Launch Day revisited
Here’s how The Independent covered Mr de Vries’ trip to space one month ago.
Blue Origin launches William Shatner into space
‘Everyone on Earth needs to see this,’ says 90-year-old ‘Star Trek’ actor, who became oldest person ever to travel to space
DeVries and his fellow crew members ahead of their trip to space
Full statement from the FAA
An FAA spokesperson provided the following statement regarding Thursday's crash:
This information is preliminary and subject to change. Please check with local authorities for the passengers’ names and medical conditions.
Local law enforcement notified the FAA that they located a single-engine Cessna 172 that had crashed in a wooded area of a state park near Lake Kemah, NJ around 4pm today. The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) shortly before 3 pm to public safety agencies to alert them about the missing aircraft. The flight departed Essex County Airport in Caldwell, NJ for Sussex Airport. Two people were on board.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates.
After investigators verify the aircraft registration number at the scene, the FAA will release it on this web page , usually on the next business day.
You can look up the aircraft by its registration number on this page.
Neither the FAA nor NTSB identifies people involved in aircraft accidents.”
An experienced pilot
Mr de Vries documented many of his flights as a private pilot on social media.
Author, trustee, and vice chair of life sciences
In addition to being the co-founder of Medidata and subsequently vice-chair of Life Sciences and Healthcare at Dassault Systèmes, Mr de Vries is also an ardent supporter of Water.org, and a trustee of Carnegie Mellon University — his alma mater.
He is also the author of The Patient Equation which examines how the data revolution is transforming biotech and healthcare, especially in the wake of Covid-19. All royalties from the book are donated to Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.
Prior to his trip into space, he set up a website to track his location and collate his social media accounts: Is Glen de Vries in space right now?
Further details on incident
It is believed that the plane involved in Thursday’s incident was a single-engine Cessna 172 and that it came down in a state park near Lake Kemah, New Jersey.
The wreckage was located by state troopers after the FAA issues an alert that it was missing and a report of the crash was called in.
ABC News reports that Thomas Fischer, who accompanied Mr de Vries on the flight and was also killed, was the owner of Fischer Aviation, a family-run flight school and was its head instructor.
De Vries had a passion for aviation
Mr de Vries was passionate about aviation and tweeted this image just a week before he went into space.
More details on crash
Via NBC News New York:
The plane 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, according to the agency.
State Troopers responded to a call at 2:50 pm of an aircraft crash near Hampton Township, said Charles Marchan, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police. The single-engine airplane was discovered in a wooded area, according to the FAA.
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