6 May 1937

Airship D-LZ129 Hindenburg moored at New Jersey at the end of a previous voyage.
Airship D-LZ129 Hindenburg moored at New Jersey at the end of a previous voyage.

6 May 1937: After a three-day Trans-Atlantic crossing from Frankfurt, Germany, the rigid airship Hindenburg (D-LZ129) arrived at Lakehurst, New Jersey, with 36 passengers and 61 crewmembers.

Airship LZ-129 Hindenburg burning, 1925 hours, 6 May 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Airship LZ-129 Hindenburg burning, 1925 hours, 6 May 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

At 7:25 p.m., while the airship was being moored, it suddenly caught fire. The fabric covering burned first, but then the hydrogen gas contained in the buoyancy tanks exploded and burned. Hindenburg settled to the ground and was completely destroyed within 30 seconds.

Water ballast rains down as Hindenburg burns at the mooring mast 1925 hours, 6 May 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey. SFA003016395
Hindenburg NY Daily News
Hindenburg settles to the ground. (Arthur Cofod, Jr./USAF 12293 A.C.)

Of those on board, 13 passengers and 22 crewmembers died. One member of the ground crew was also killed.

Surprisingly, though there were many survivors and witnesses—as well as newsreel footage of the accident—the cause has never been determined.

This dramatic accident ended the airship passenger industry.

Airship LZ-129 Hindenburg burning, 1925 hours, 6 May 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Airship LZ-129 Hindenburg burning, 1925 hours, 6 May 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Hindenburg burning

© 2015, Bryan R. Swopes

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5 thoughts on “6 May 1937

  1. sabotage… or static electricity ???

    We’ll probably never know !!!

  2. On 4 May, PBS broadcast a NOVA program “Hindenburg: The New Evidence” that showed how the fire likely started. The skin and frame acted like a capacitor. The ropes provided a ground path and the rain allowed sparking to trigger combustion. You should watch it.

  3. I saw that Nova program on PBS also, and learned that there was a helium leak in the stern before it even arrived. The stern was low and ballast water was draining before the ropes were dropped. For a structure that large not to have gas leaks seems impossible to me, with Four Diesel engines vibrating, and inflight turbulence. Combine that with a highly inflammable gas like hydrogen is a recipe for disaster. The only surprise to me is that they had 35 accident free flights before this event.

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