Ben Jepson was a colonist on Pern.
Ben and his twin brother Bob met Brian Hanrahan on the Yokohama, and they became fast friends while waiting to drop to Pern as colonists.
Ben died in a sled crash fighting Thread during the Thanksgiving celebration, along with his twin and Bart Nilwan and Becky Nielson. Ben and Bob had been trying some fancy flying maneuvers when their sleds crashed.