huge airship "Hindenburg", is a symbol of Nazi Germany, was built in the late 30-ies of XX century.The name of the aircraft is named after the German Reich President.During its construction safety issues to focus on.So why did he exploded in May 1937?
explosion
In his last flight airship "Hindenburg" went 3 May 1937.Ticket price was about $ 400.On board were 97 people (including crew).The gondola management sat Captain Mark Preuss, who took part in the 1st World War.May 6 aircraft flew over Manhattan.Wanting to surprise passengers, Pruss Zeppelin spent close to an observation deck situated on the roof of the Empire State Building.The airship passed so close that site visitors and passengers can wave to each other.After circled over the city a little bit, the airship "Hindenburg" went to the base of the planned landing Leykhёrst and four o'clock in the afternoon arrived at the place.But the west approaching storm front, so the head of the base, Charles Rosendahl has not given permission to land.Within two hours of the zeppelin flew along the coast in anticipation of news from Leykhёrst.At six o'clock Preuss received a message from the base on the improvement of weather conditions and landing permission and took her course.At seven in the evening on the "Hindenburg" came another message with a recommendation to land as quickly as possible.At 11 minutes past seven zeppelin dropped to a mark of 180 meters.On the ground reporting on his arrival led Herbert Morrison - a well-known American journalist.After 9 minutes, the aircraft was equilibrated, and then got rid of mooring ropes.After another 5 minutes in the stern (right above the gas compartments) happened a fire, which spread for 15 seconds on the nose.There was a deafening explosion.After 30 seconds of fire crashed airship "Hindenburg" near the mooring mast.
Sheathing
Zeppelin had siding of reinforced cotton fabric impregnated with iron oxide with a mixture of aluminum powder and cellulose acetate butyrate.The idea is that it should have been give the shell as strength and fire retardant properties.But using the substances contained in the paint airship managed to create a thermite, which ignited without oxygen.However, this composition must burn very slowly, which does not correspond to the documentary video from the crash site.
airship "Hindenburg" in a reduced form, painted with this mixture and placed in a hydrogen-filled environment, burned for about a minute, not for a few seconds.As a result, experts have concluded that the paint is burned together with hydrogen.There were some suggestions that thermite paint pretty hard for the airship and the possibility of its use is very low.However, no one checked the degree of flammability of the material from which he was made aircraft.Therefore, the most likely reason is that the crash of the airship "Hindenburg" occurred due to technical flammable impregnating a building material.
