First Lieutenant Vanderwielen was a member of Headquarters Squadron, Weapons Development Group, Air Material Command stationed at Seattle, Washington. On 13 August 1951, he served as the test pilot on a B-50D bomber receiving a routine acceptance flight. The aircraft crashed into an apartment complex near Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, killing the three servicemen and three Boeing technicians on board and five civilians on the ground.

Vanderwielen was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.