The airship was one of the first ways to take flight. Created from the concept of cold gas balloons, the airship was an alternative to transatlantic ships in the first half of the 20th century.
Large, clumsy and full of procedures, airships began to gain scale in , mainly with the famous Zeppelin and the Hindenburg, the largest at that time.
Addressing specifically about the Hindenburg, this was built by Zeppelin GmbH and made its first flight in 1936. The manufacture of components began in 1931 and lasted for five years, in the end the airship built in duralumin was 245 meters long and 41,5 meters in diameter.
Its crossing of the Atlantic was carried out in approximately two days, due to the constant speed of 125 km/h. Ships of the time made the same route in 10 days, or more.
Its capacity was between 50 and 70 engers, but the Hindenburg needed a crew in almost equal quantity, due to the luxurious accommodations, similar to that proposed by the ships. Among her qualities was stability in flight.
A ticket between and the USA cost approximately US$ 7811 (at current prices), the equivalent of a first class flight on Lufthansa.
All these characteristics contributed to the success of the Hindenburg, which made 36 flights before suffering one of the most symbolic accidents in aviation.
The Hindenburg Disaster, upon arrival in the United States
On May 06, 1937, the Hindenburg was approaching to land in Manchester Township, a city in New Jersey, USA. Unaware of possible problems that could occur, the crew began the approach procedure, where the airship was to be tied to the mast.
At Lakehurst the weather was not favorable for the approach, which delayed the whole process by 12 hours. After the docking was released, some journalists took the opportunity to the huge aircraft, and for this reason there are several photos of the accident.
The Hindenburg positioned itself for a high approach, where the landing and mooring lines would be dropped from above, and sailors would guide the airship close to the ground. The crew launched the ladder and were about to start disembarking, when the tail of the huge airship started to catch fire.
The aircraft was carrying 61 crew, 36 engers and two dogs. The post office also used airships to transport cargo and letters, something done by the Hindenburg.
The fire soon consumed the fuselage, in less than half a minute, and depressurized the flammable hydrogen compartment that made the flight possible. On the ground, the Hindenburg continued to burn as a huge team tried to rescue the people inside.
The crash on the ground led to the death of 9 of the 12 crew who were responsible for piloting. In all, 35 people died in the accident, and many survivors suffered severe burns.
Causes of the accident
After several investigations, the most accepted cause for the accident to have occurred was a leak of hydrogen gas, which in with oxygen and a spark by static electricity, at the time of mooring to the metal mast.
As in the previous hours the airship flew over areas of instability, it is not impossible to say that the fuselage had a marked accumulation of static energy. This buildup is not the problem, but combined of hydrogen gas with atmospheric air can be fatal.
The investigation focused on reports from witnesses and journalists who were at the scene. Some saw a faint blue flame at the rear of the airship, just moments before the fire started.
The fire quickly consumed the airship, despite having several cells to accommodate the hydrogen. Some engers and crew reported hearing the sound of a muffled detonation, however, others didn't even notice the problem right away.
Due to the rivalry of Nazi with the USA, at the time, many publications accused the Americans of sabotage, since until then that was the greatest symbol of the country. However, other similar incidents with airships already occurred before the Hindenburg, and showed how dangerous this type of aircraft when pressurized with hydrogen was.
Reported at the time as a "Great Disaster" the fire of the largest aircraft in the world practically sealed the end of the airships in the market. In the following years, fixed-wing aircraft manufacturers optimized their designs to create planes that crossed the Atlantic with few stopovers.
