Hindenburg crash, lakehurst, new jersey

{Hindenburg

Brian Le

Marcos Rodriguez

Dr. Hugo Eckner

Ambition to build next generation of aircraft

Long distance flight

Graf Zeppelin

Successful flights

Spotless track record

Other countries abandoned airship program

Zeppelin Company

Named after Paul von Hindenburg

Size

803 ft, 29 ft longer than Graf Zeppelin

135 ft in diameter

4 diesel engines

2x as much gas

Hydrogen gas

U.S. monopolized helium

Feared Hitler

Hindenburg

Nazi regime

Nazi symbol German supremacy

March 4, 1936 broadcasting speeches

Propaganda Flights

Luxury Liner

$400

Dining rooms

Writing rooms

Passenger lounges

Cabins

Promenades

Bars

Smoking room

Commercial Flights

Gained permission from U.S.

10 round trips from Frankfurt to Lakehurst, NJ

6 to Rio de Janerio

1500 transatlantic passengers

German- American international company

Zeppelin Company & U.S. Navy

18 planned flights

Commercial Flights

Flight Map

7:10 pm: Lightning spotted

7:20 pm: Dead level stop

7:21 pm: Hindenburg is “grounded”

7:25 pm: Outer cover begins to flutter

32 Seconds

Recap of Events

Captain Max Pruss

Several things to consider:

Dope

Aluminum powder + Iron Oxide = Thermite (explosive)

Hydrogen

Tail Heavy

Grounding of ship

St. Elmo’s Fire

What went wrong?

Potential difference slowly rose

High tension towards back of ship

Broken shear wire punctures gas cell

Spark ignites free gas particles

From Dr. Hugo Eckener

Most Likely Scenario

Name forever associated with tragedy and technological disaster

End of Airship travel

Rise of the Airplane

Impact

Sabotage

Luger Pistol

Conspiracy

German acrobat

Unaccompanied visits to feed his dog

Anti-Nazi jokes

Agitated by delays

Joseph Späh

Girlfriend allegedly had communist ties

Had access to area where fire started

Dry-Cell battery found in wreckage

Eric Spehl

Eckner vs. Hitler

Adolf Hitler

No credible evidence ever found to support sabotage

“the Hindenburg was destroyed accidently by unusual but natural causes.”

Bottom Line

http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster

http://www.airships.net/blog/hindenburg-covering-rocket-fuel

http://history1900s.about.com/cs/disasters/a/hindenburgcrash_2.htm