Marjorie van Vliet (Zeuch) (192315 June 1990) was a teacher from Warwick, Rhode Island in the United States, who, aged 55, learned to fly and decided to undertake projects to promote world peace and related causes through her flying.

Touring for peace

After founding a "World Friendship Association" and flying some domestic flights to promote world peace and fight

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

, van Vliet looked for further flying-related challenges. As a more ambitious goal, she decided to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to the Soviet Union to promote world peace, possibly continuing on around the world and returning via the Pacific Ocean. The

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, however, was still ongoing and despite many efforts over several years to promote her idea, obtaining permission from the Soviet Union proved insurmountable.

Planning the Grand Tour of the "Lower 48"

The idea was to criss-cross the continental United States (the "Lower 48") in a single two-week period, landing at each state capital to promote her association's messages. A retired USAF colonel, Frank E. Martineau, promoted this campaign and accompanied van Vliet. Martineau was an experienced pilot who had flown bombing missions during World War II and later flew for the U.S.

Air Force Reserves The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

. Now aged 69, he had logged 5,400 hours flying time with instrument flying experience. According to periodic newsletters her association published at the time, van Vliet, then 67 years old, believed his experience would significantly enhance her safety during the arduous and ambitious two-week flight.

Accident

Ultimately, after successfully landing in 47 states, the journey ended in tragedy just one mile short of the penultimate stop. On the morning of June 15, 1990, while executing an instrument approach to Yeager Airport, the single-engine Mooney M-20E that van Vliet and Martineau were flying from

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

crashed into wooded terrain in light rain, turbulence and fog. Both perished in the crash. According to the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

report issued in 1992, the probable cause of the crash was:

Postscript

As another irony, the Soviet Union, by now undergoing

perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...

, had finally approved van Vliet's request for the World Peace tour flight over their territory (with Martineau as copilot), just prior to the Grand Tour flight. In 1991, van Vliet was honored by being inducted posthumously into the

International Forest of Friendship The International Forest of Friendship is an arboretum and memorial forest beside Lake Warnock in Atchison, Kansas. It is a memorial to the men and women involved in aviation and space exploration, and open to the public daily. The forest was star ...

in Atchison, Kansas.

References

''Charleston Daily Mail''
* * * "Rally lifts teacher's hopes for her solo flight for peace", Adelle M. Banks, Journal-Bulletin Staff Writer. ''Providence Journal''. Providence, R.I.: November 18, 1987. pg. C-11 * "Touring Warwick pilot dies in crash", Staff and wire reports. ''Providence Journal''. Providence, R.I.: Jun 16, 1990. pg. A-03 * "Plane crash dead were experienced pilots", ''Charleston Gazette'', June 16, 1990 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Vliet, Marjorie 1923 births 1990 deaths American aviators Aviators from Rhode Island Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in West Virginia People from Warwick, Rhode Island American women aviators 20th-century American women