Blue Origin astronaut Glen de Vries dies in plane crash

[fholbert]

Blue Origin astronaut Glen de Vries dies in plane crash

One of Blue Origin's newest astronauts, 49-year-old Glen de Vries, survived a ride to space in October alongside actor William Shatner. But less than a month later, he was killed in a small plane crash on Thursday in New Jersey.

www.cnn.com

Date:	11-NOV-2021
Time:	c:10:47
Type:	Cessna 172 Skyhawk
Owner/operator:	Hanuman Aviation LLC
Registration:	N90559
MSN:	172S11076
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Category:	Accident
Location:	Branchville, Hampton Township, NJ - United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Caldwell Wright Airport, NJ (CDW/KCDW)
Destination airport:	Sussex Airport, NJ (KFWN)
Investigating agency:	NTSB

Narrative:
The aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances in a heavily wooded area fatally injuring both occupants.
One of the two people onboard was Glen M. Devries, 49, of New York, NY. Devries was one of the members that accompanied William Shatner aboard the October 13 2021 mission of Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin

 

[Fixtur]

It was clear a beautiful yesterday, but pretty windy later in the afternoon.

 

[NovemberEcho]

We actually got a call from the flight school when he was 2 hours overdue. He was the owner of Fischer Aviation at CDW and he was with a commercial student. Wasnt on ff though so there wasn’t anything we could do other than notify SAR.

 

[Richman]

There’s a lot of heavily wooded areas in NYS.

 

[NovemberEcho]

There’s a lot of heavily wooded areas in NYS.

this was NJ but that area is very rural and mostly forested hills and farms. I grew up about 20 minutes from there.

 

[knot4u]

That sucks. If his lifelong dream was to be an astronaut and experience weightlessness he achieved it. I hope he had already addressed any issues regarding his demise beforehand. Perhaps we should remember his time as a life well lived, and cut short. I’m 50 and consider 40 young. Getting old is simultaneously good and bad.

 

[MFT1Air]

Really sad news. My condolences to the families of the two souls for their loss.

Curious yes. . .If the other soul was a pilot as well?

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

We actually got a call from the flight school when he was 2 hours overdue. He was the owner of Fischer Aviation at CDW and he was with a commercial student. Wasnt on ff though so there wasn’t anything we could do other than notify SAR.

Terrible. I remember checking out CDW in terms of renting planes and Fischer Aviation was there, seemed like a nice school. Didn't go through with it, but I remember they are a pretty big name for flight training.

What's ff? Wasn't on filed flight?

 

[FlyingAccountant]

We actually got a call from the flight school when he was 2 hours overdue. He was the owner of Fischer Aviation at CDW and he was with a commercial student. Wasnt on ff though so there wasn’t anything we could do other than notify SAR.

It sounds like DeVries was the commercial student. I wonder what went wrong with a 172?

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

That one was a G1000 too, so not some old 172. Manufactured 2011.

 

[fholbert]

 

[NovemberEcho]

It sounds like DeVries was the commercial student. I wonder what went wrong with a 172?

other than stall spin, which seems kind of unlikelyngiven how much altitude they had to recover, my only two thoughts are medical issue or bird strike through the windshield

 

[dustoff17]

Terrible. I remember checking out CDW in terms of renting planes and Fischer Aviation was there, seemed like a nice school. Didn't go through with it, but I remember they are a pretty big name for flight training.

What's ff? Wasn't on filed flight?

ff = Flight Following

RIP...
I know some of those guys...flew out of there until about a month ago..

 

[dustoff17]

Talked to another instructor there. Seems they went out to practice spin training/recovery.

 

[WacoFan]

Talked to another instructor there. Seems they went out to practice spin training/recovery.

Maybe I'm missing something but didn't that Flight Aware show 6.200 feet? I mean, I am the least experienced person here but...a Cessna 172 stall and spin is really benign. The Chief I first did spins in (pre-war so it had a little less rudder than post war models) was really easy to get into a spin and took proactive recovery. The hardest part about a 172 was getting it to spin (compared to the Chief/Waco's/Howard/T-crafts/Cubs/PT-22's/Stearmans and other things I've spun...mostly intentionally. So, how does this work?

 

[knot4u]

Maybe I'm missing something but didn't that Flight Aware show 6.200 feet? I mean, I am the least experienced person here but...a Cessna 172 stall and spin is really benign. The Chief I first did spins in (pre-war so it had a little less rudder than post war models) was really easy to get into a spin and took proactive recovery. The hardest part about a 172 was getting it to spin (compared to the Chief/Waco's/Howard/T-crafts/Cubs/PT-22's/Stearmans and other things I've spun...mostly intentionally. So, how does this work?

I always enjoyed spinning airplanes, I suppose the caveat to that is it was always intentional. Maybe something broke?

 

[melax]

That's why this stuff should be performed in a Cessna 150/152 aerobat, When in doubt, let go everything and it rights itself (as long as you have enough alt). You can also fit a BRS system in the 150/172/182. just saying.

 

[CFI A&P]

Maybe I'm missing something but didn't that Flight Aware show 6.200 feet? I mean, I am the least experienced person here but...a Cessna 172 stall and spin is really benign. The Chief I first did spins in (pre-war so it had a little less rudder than post war models) was really easy to get into a spin and took proactive recovery. The hardest part about a 172 was getting it to spin (compared to the Chief/Waco's/Howard/T-crafts/Cubs/PT-22's/Stearmans and other things I've spun...mostly intentionally. So, how does this work?

100% Correct. I've done thousands of spins; in all modes in a wide variety of aircraft. The hardest part of spinning a C172 is getting it to spin. There is too much inherent stability in the design that it makes spin entry difficult.

That's why this stuff should be performed in a Cessna 150/152 aerobat, When in doubt, let go everything and it rights itself (as long as you have enough alt). You can also fit a BRS system in the 150/172/182. just saying.

Spinning a Cessna must be done in the utility or aerobatic category, which requires the baggage compartment to be empty, both for reasons of FOD and risk of too far aft CG. The BRS system adds about 75 pounds to the cargo area and that probably prevents the aircraft from operating in the utility category. I'd have to search the STC paperwork and airframe limitations after installation, but I'd be surprised if that much weight that far aft was permissible while spinning.

 

[Nihon_Ni]

That's why this stuff should be performed in a Cessna 150/152 aerobat, When in doubt, let go everything and it rights itself (as long as you have enough alt). You can also fit a BRS system in the 150/172/182. just saying.

There's an AD that prohibits intentional spins in C150/152 unless the rudder stops are replaced with stronger ones.

 

[ahw01]

Let's not fit BRS to planes that don't need it.