The Hindenburg Airship Disaster

This online engineering PDH interactive presentation provides a brief summary on the Hindenburg Airship disaster.

After leaving Frankfurt, Germany three days earlier, the rigid German airship Hindenburg landed at its target, Lakehurst, NJ, Naval Air Station, on May 6, 1937. Upon its arrival hours behind schedule, the Hindenburg unexpectedly caught fire as it was about to dock with its mooring pole, prompting passengers and crew to jump out of windows to escape the conflagration. In a matter of seconds, the airship was destroyed, leaving 36 passengers dead. The incident became famous as the first significant aviation mishap to be documented in images, sounds, and motion picture footage.

This presentation introduces the 1937 Hindenburg Airship disaster and the unfolding sequence of events that led to its ultimate ignition. The presentation also discusses the numerous theories regarding the ignition source—such as sabotage, lightning, static electricity, and an engine backfire, and discusses the aftermath following the disaster, including the huge death toll that resulted in the death of an industry. The presentation ends by presenting the lessons learnt and the impact left behind by what was described as the biggest catastrophe captured on film and seen all over the world, the collapse of the Titanic of the Sky.

This 1 PDH online interactive presentation is applicable to mechanical engineers, transportation and safety personnel, and technical staff who are interested in gaining a better understanding of the 1937 Hindenburg Airship disaster.