A businessman who went into space on the Blue Origin project has died in a plane crash

The Entrepreneur Glen de Vries, Flew into space with “Star Trek” actor William Shatner on the Blue Origin drone in October. Died in a plane crashPolice said Friday.

The small plane he was traveling in crashed Hampton Township, New Jersey, is 95 miles west of New York, Shortly after 3pm (local time, 19 GMT) on Thursday, a New Jersey State Police spokesman told AFP.

“There are two confirmed deaths,” a spokesman said Vries, 49, and Thomas Fisher, 54. De Vries was a private pilot, instrumentalist, and Fischer owned an aviation school. Authorities did not say who directed the plane.

He said the investigation would be handed over to the FAA, the US civil aviation regulator.

De Vries, founder of the health research platform Meditata Solutions, joined Shatner and two passengers on the Blue Origin’s second manned flight on October 13. “It took me a while to describe it. It was amazing,” said De Vries when Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos attached his “astronaut wings” to his blue airplane.

Blue Origin tweeted, “We are devastated to learn of Glenn de Vries’ sudden demise.”He brought a lot of vitality and energy to the entire Blue Origin team and his fellow travelers. His passion for aviation, his charitable work and his dedication to handicrafts will long be respected and admired.”

De Vries also served on the Board of Directors of Carnegie Mellon University.

Fisher owned the Fisher Aviation School and was its head instructor, according to the company’s website.

(With information from AFP and AP)

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