A New York City man who flew into space last month with Star Trek actor William Shatner is one of the crew of a small aircraft who died Thursday during an accident in northern New Jersey.
The other person who died was a chief instructor for Fischer Aviation, a local flight school, state police said.
The victims were identified as Thomas P. Fischer, 54, a second-generation flight instructor from New Jersey, as well as Glen M. De Vries, 49, of New York City, according to Trooper Brandi Slota, spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.
The Federal Aviation Administration will lead an investigation into the plane crash that caused the death of millionaire Glen de Vries.
De Vries, a member of the team who made headlines last month when they flew into space with Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin , began his private pilot training with Fischer in February 2016, according to the Fischer Aviation website .
“Our thoughts and support are with the Glen family. Our condolences also go out to our MEDIDATA team, which Glen co-founded. His tireless energy, empathy, and pioneering spirit left their mark on everyone who met him. We will truly miss Glen, but his dreams, which we share, are still alive: We will pursue advancement in life sciences and healthcare as passionately as he is, ”Dassault Systemes said in a statement.
Glen de Vries, Audrey Powers, William Shatner and Chris Boshuizen were part of the Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket crew.
The Federal Aviation Administration alerted public safety authorities around 3 pm that the single-engine Cessna 172 disappeared near Lake Kemah. Emergency crews found the remains around 4 p.m.
Police said the plane was heading to Sussex Airport from Essex County Airport in Caldwell.
FAA spokeswoman Maria Njoku said on Friday that a preliminary report on the investigators’ findings on why the aircraft crashed will be released in about a week.
The accident unfolded “under unknown circumstances,” according to an initial FAA report.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
