The Hindenburg Crash

On May 6, 1937, while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersy (next to New York), on the first of its scheduled 1937 trans-Atlantic crossings, the Hindenburg burst into flames after an explosion. - Watch original footage and a live reporter on the scene who commented what he witnessed. Thirty-six of the 97 persons aboard were killed. Cause of the explosion The fire was officially attributed to a discharge of atmospheric electricity in the vicinity of a hydrogen gas leak from the airship, though it was speculated that the dirigible was the victim of an anti-Nazi act of sabotage. The Hindenburg disaster marked the end of the use of rigid airships in commercial air transportation. The Hindenburg was a 245-metre- (804-foot-) long airship of conventional zeppelin design that was launched at Friedrichshafen, Germany, in March 1936. It had a maximum speed of 135 km (84 miles) per hour and a cruising speed of 126 km (78 miles) per hour. Though it was designed to be filled with helium gas, the airship was filled with hi