Blue Origin Astronaut Dies In NJ Small Plane Crash

The New Jersey Herald reports:

The owner and head instructor of Fischer Aviation, a family-run flight school in Essex County, and a New York City man who joined actor William Shatner on a trip to space last month have been identified as the two people killed in a plane crash in Hampton on Thursday, state police said.

Thomas P. Fischer, 54, of the Jefferson portion of Lake Hopatcong, a second generation flight instructor, was killed along with Glen M. de Vries, 49, of New York City, according to Trooper Brandi Slota, a New Jersey State police spokesperson.

The Carnegie Mellon trustee and founder of Medidata Solutions, a tech company, de Vries traveled into space on Oct. 13 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft, fulfilling an apparent life-long dream.

Read the full article.

Glen M. de Vries, who joined William Shatner in space recently, and Thomas P. Fischer have been identified as the victims of a plane crash in Hampton.https://t.co/la2NurJj10

— NorthJersey.com (@northjersey) November 12, 2021

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