Report of the Airship ''Hindenburg'' Accident Investigation


Read by Scott Danneker

(4.6 stars; 8 reviews)

“Oh my!”
-Herbert O. Morrison, WLS News, Chicago

Thursday, 6 May, 1937: It is early evening at a remote airport in central New Jersey. It’s starting to rain again. Suddenly, much to the surprise of the dozens of spectators gathered below, a gigantic diesel powered balloon blows up as it tries to land after crossing the ocean from Germany. In less time than it takes to read this summary, this proud machine, the quintessence of aerostatic technology, is re-forged forever into a twisted, smoking metaphor.

Eighty years have passed since that unsettled Spring evening. In the interval, several investigators have painstakingly reviewed the facts, introduced new evidence, rearranged the lines of reasoning, and (in some instances) employed artistic license to shed new light on the source of the "elusive spark" that brought the ship down. Despite these efforts, the conclusions drawn by the original 1937 commission remain essentially intact to this day.

The full official report of the 1937 U.S. Department of Commerce accident investigation is presented here for the first time in audio format. (Summary by Scott Danneker) (2 hr 30 min)

Chapters

Preface 5:02 Read by Scott Danneker
Introduction 5:53 Read by Scott Danneker
The Airship 22:51 Read by Scott Danneker
The Landing Maneuver 31:30 Read by Scott Danneker
The Fire 18:02 Read by Scott Danneker
The Combustible Mixture and its Ignition 54:13 Read by Scott Danneker
Appendix 12:30 Read by Scott Danneker

Reviews

Report of the Airship Hindenberg Accident Investigation


(5 stars)

I was very happy to come across this title. It was extremely interesting to hear that in fact, the investigation came to the accepted conclusion way back in 1937 the Airship was a victim of a combination of several weather related events at just the exact moment and at a point of vulnerability in a landing attempt. If they had only delayed the landing another hour, nothing may have happened and we still may have seen zeppelin air travel for decades longer! Fascinating that there had been so many successful flights before that fateful day.