6th May 1937: Hindenburg Disaster sees German passenger airship LZ 129 engulfed in flames

At the time, the Hindenburg was the fastest and most luxurious way to cross the Atlantic. It had already completed 63 flights from its base in Germany to a range of destinations that went as far as Rio de Janeiro. The airship had also been used as a propaganda tool to support Hitler’s remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936, and flew over the Berlin Olympics later that year.

The Hindenburg began its maiden transatlantic flight exactly one year before the disaster, on 6 May 1936. By the end of the year it had crossed the Atlantic 34 times, transporting 3,500 passengers and 30,000kg of mail. It was, therefore, a proven and reliable form of transport although high ticket prices placed it out of the reach of most ordinary Germans.

When the Hindenburg arrived at Lakehurst on 6 May 1937, Captain Max Pruss delayed landing due to poor weather conditions. Three hours later he returned to Lakehurst and carried out a swift landing to take advantage of an improvement in the weather. The landing ropes were dropped at 7.21pm, and shortly afterwards the Hindenburg was engulfed by flames.

The most widely accepted explanation for the fire is that the airship was statically charged as a result of flying through the storm. The landing ropes consequently ‘earthed’ the airship, resulting in a spark that ignited the airship. However, the biggest single reason for the huge fire is simple: the Hindenburg contained 7 million cubic feet of explosive hydrogen gas.