LAKEHURST — 1937 · Major Tragedy
The Hindenburg Disaster
The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg left Frankfurt on 3 May 1937 with 97 people aboard and caught fire on the evening of 6 May as it prepared to land at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey. The hydrogen-filled giant burned and fell to the ground in about 32 seconds. Thirty-six people died — 13 passengers, 22 crew members and one member of the ground crew — while 62 survived. Newsreel cameras and a live radio report carried the scene around the world. The 1937 German and American inquiries concluded that an electrostatic spark had ignited leaking hydrogen. The disaster effectively ended the era of passenger airships.
- Date
- 1937
- Place
- New Jersey, USA, Lakehurst, US
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 40.0337, -74.3537 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 3 May 1937The Hindenburg left Frankfurt with 97 people aboard.
- 6 May 1937It caught fire while landing at Lakehurst and burned in about 32 seconds.
- 1937German and US inquiries concluded a spark had ignited leaking hydrogen.
Sources
- Airships.net — The Hindenburg Disaster airships.net ↗
- Smithsonian Magazine — What Really Felled the Hindenburg? smithsonianmag.com ↗
- The Henry Ford — Airship Hindenburg Disaster, Lakehurst, May 6, 1937 thehenryford.org ↗
- Airships.net
- Smithsonian Magazine
- The Henry Ford
Source grade B: at least one verifiable linked source. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.