Businessman Killed in NJ Plane Crash Flew to Space with Shatner

When businessman Glen de Vries flew to space with 'Star Trek' actor William Shatner on October 13th, he couldn't have known his life would end less than one month later. The tragedy is another reminder that life is short.

de Vries, CEO of the software company Medidata, was killed this week in New Jersey when a small aircraft he was traveling in crashed, 6abc.com reports. He was just 49.

NJ State Troopers responded to reports of a plane going down near Lake Kemah in Hampton Twp., Sussex County just before 3 p.m. Thursday to find the wreckage and its two victims.

Fischer Aviation owner Thomas Fischer, 54, also died.

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It was just last month that Glen de Vries was among the passengers who accompanied Shatner to space on a Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin tourist rocket. de Vries paid for that privilege, as did Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen, according to New York Times. Blue Origin vice president Audrey Powers also flew on the crew.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

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