There are many misconceptions about what happened to the German airship, Hindenburg, at Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937. To be brief, it was the skin of the airship that was ignited by an electrical discharge between the ship and the ground.

The paint on the exterior of the Hindenburg was a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum in proportions similar to those used today as a solid propellant for rockets. The skin burned furiously causing the hydrogen stored in internal bladders to ignite. The hydrogen burned quickly and invisibly as the fire rose up and away from the airship. The visible fire was fueled by the skin and by the diesel fuel stored for the propulsion engines.

Thirty-one of the thirty-three deaths in the disaster were caused by passengers and crew jumping or falling from the gondola to the ground. Those passengers who rode the gondola to the ground were injured but escaped death. The remaining two people were burned to death by the falling wreckage. In fact, certain writers are convinced that the damage and loss of life would have been the same whether the Hindenburg were fueled with helium or hydrogen.

For additional information: www.hydrogennow.org/Facts/Safety-1.htm