Hindenburg

After making its first South America flight of the
1937 season in late March, the Hindenburg left Frankfurt for Lakehurst on the evening of May 3 on its first scheduled round trip between Europe and the United States that year. Although strong headwinds slowed the passage the crossing, the flight had otherwise proceeded routinely as it approached for a landing three days later.[14]Around 7:00 p.m. local time on 6 May, at an altitude of 650 feet (200 m), the Hindenburg with Captain Max Pruss at the helm approached the Lakehurst Naval Air Station and prepared to land. Twenty-five minutes later, the airship caught fire and quickly became completely engulfed in flames in only 37 seconds (since hydrogen gas is extremely flammable). The location of the initial fire, the source of ignition, and the initial source of fuel remain subjects of
debate. Of the 36 passengers and 61 crew on board, 13 passengers and 22 crew died. One member of the ground crew was also killed, making a total of 36 lives lost in the disaster. The incident is widely remembered as one of the most dramatic accidents of modern time. The cause of the accident has never been determined, although many theories, some highly controversial, have been proposed. However, it is commonly accepted that had the Hindenburg been filled with helium, as opposed to hydrogen, the disaster would not have occurred.