Picture credit: CSU Archv/Everett/Rex Features
The Hindenburg was the largest commercial dirigible ever built but on this day 72 years ago the hydrogen filled airship spectacularly burst into flames when it touched its mooring mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey. There were around 100 people on board yet the disaster killed 36 passengers.
In this video we see the flammable craft burst insto flames and people on the ground run for their lives.
The commentator was expecting a safe touchdown but you'll hear the horror in his voice as he describes the accident as "the worst catastrophe the world has ever seen". Watch the rest of the video to hear what witnesses experienced.
Hindenberg started a scheduled service--consisting of ten return flights during the summer over this route between Frankfurt and Lakehurst, in 1936. Flight reported that the cause of the accident was the ignition of a mixture of free hydrogen and air.
Flight reported in its 14 May 1936 issue: "A record for the North Atlantic crossing by an airship has been made by the Zeppelin Hindenburg, which took 61 hr. 38 min. for the 4,381-mile Friedrichshafen-New York trip."
- See inside the Hindenburg
In October 1910 dirigibles had only been in the air "both literally and figuratively" in the course of the past few weeks which inspired Flight to focus on the aircraft's failures and successes.
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