Glen De Vries, Civilian Astronaut Flying On Blue Origin Dies In Plane Crash

Gle De Vries, a civilian astronaut who flew with Blue Origin, dies in a light plane crash. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA - Glen de Vries (49), a civilian astronaut who last month flew into space with William Shatner on a Blue Origin rocket, died in a small plane crash Thursday, November 11. The accident occurred while the co-founder of Medidata Solutions was flying with Thomas Fischer, 54, of Fischer Aviation. Their plane crashed in Sussex County, New Jersey at 3 pm.

"Both men died in the crash," the New Jersey State Police Department was quoted as saying. However, the cause of the crash is not yet known and it is not clear which of the two men was piloting the plane when it crashed.

"A great light has gone out in the world," his wife, Maria, told the Daily Beast. “I will just say that Glen is an amazing, bigger-than-life man. He always seemed like a superhero to me, very smart, very talented, generous, and very funny."

De Vries' death comes a month after he paid for a ride on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket with Shatner, Australian entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen and Blue Origin executive Audrey Powers. De Vries called his experience of flying into space at that time a 'dream come true.'

“We are devastated to hear of Glen de Vries' sudden departure. He brought so much life and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and his fellow crew members. His passion for aviation, his charity work, and his dedication to his craft will long be adored and admired," read a tweet from Blue Origin on Friday, November 12.

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. pic.twitter.com/1hwnjntTVs

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) November 12, 2021

De Vries, a molecular biologist, and a graduate of New York University and Carnegie Mellon, made his fortune through Medidata Solutions, which facilitates the world's most widely used clinical research platform.

The company's software has managed more than 25,000 clinical trials involving more than seven million people. Medidata was acquired by Dassault Systems in 1999 for US$5.8 billion (Rp82.3 trillion).

“He is one of the most amazing human beings you will ever meet. He gave so much to so many people, and as a result of his work, perhaps millions of lives have been saved,” said his father, Alan De Vries.

"We are devastated. I'm still in complete shock—my mother's family and my daughter, we're all still in shock. He lived life to the fullest, and I think he gave completely. It's just who he is," added Alan De Vries.

After de Vries landed after a space flight last month, he described the extraordinary 'moment of friendship' with the Blue Origin crew as they reached outer space.

"We were actually just holding hands. Then we enjoyed the view as much as we could," said Glen Alan De Vries at the time.

Audrey Powers, one of the Blue Origin executives who took the flight into space with De Vries, chimed in: "We want to remember being together there."

Dassault Systems said in a statement Friday, 'Our deepest sympathies also go out to our MEDIDATA team, co-founded by Glen. His tireless energy, empathy, and pioneering spirit leave their mark on everyone who knows him,' 'We will truly miss Glen, but his dream — which we share — lives on: we will pursue advancements in life sciences & healthcare passionately like him.'

Glen De Vries on a flight into space with Blue Origin.

De Vries usually flies planes in his spare time, and has attended a Fischer Aviation pilot training course since 2016, the New Jersey Herald reports.

The US Federal Aviation Administration notified police that the single-engine Cessna 172 De Vries and Fischer planes went missing at about 3 p.m., on Thursday near Camp Lake, New Jersey. First responders found the wreckage less than an hour later.

Police said the single-engine plane was en route to Sussex Airport from Essex County Airport, in Caldwell, when it crashed. "The aircraft was destroyed in the crash, but the cause is not yet known," the FAA said in a statement. The FAA added that a preliminary report on the cause of the plane crash may be released next week.