When Technology Fails...

1. {
Hindenburg
Brian Le
Marcos Rodriguez

2.  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

3.  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

4.  Nazi regime
 Nazi symbol German supremacy
 March 4, 1936 broadcasting speeches
Propaganda Flights

5.  Luxury Liner
 $400
 Dining rooms
 Writing rooms
 Passenger lounges
 Cabins
 Promenades
 Bars
 Smoking room
Commercial Flights

8.  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

9. Flight Map

11.  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

14.  Several things to consider:
 Dope
 Aluminum powder + Iron Oxide = Thermite
(explosive)
 Hydrogen
 Tail Heavy
 Grounding of ship
 St. Elmo’s Fire
What went wrong?

15.  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

16.  Name forever associated with tragedy and
technological disaster
 End of Airship travel
 Rise of the Airplane
Impact

17.  Sabotage
 Luger Pistol
Conspiracy

18.  German acrobat
 Unaccompanied visits to feed his dog
 Anti-Nazi jokes
 Agitated by delays
Joseph Späh

19.  Girlfriend allegedly had communist ties
 Had access to area where fire started
 Dry-Cell battery found in wreckage
Eric Spehl

20.  Eckner vs. Hitler
Adolf Hitler

21.  No credible evidence ever found to support
sabotage
 “the Hindenburg was destroyed accidently by
unusual but natural causes.”
Bottom Line

22.  http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster
 http://www.airships.net/blog/hindenburg-
covering-rocket-fuel
 http://history1900s.about.com/cs/disasters/a/hi
ndenburgcrash_2.htm