On Nov 8, 12:32*pm, Alan Anderson wrote:
On Nov 8, 2:28*am, Fred J. McCall wrote:

So I guess the Hindenberg didn't really explode and burn, then?

It didn't explode. Really.

It did burn, but blaming the hydrogen is almost certainly wrong.
Burning hydrogen gas produces a pretty blue smokeless flame. The
Hindenberg burned bright yellow, with plenty of smoke. Hydrogen rises.
A lot of the burning material fell. Ignition of the aluminum paint on
the airship's skin, perhaps from a discharge of static electricity, is
a very reasonable explanation for what happened.

That's 100% correct, whereas the safest part of that Hindenburg was
perhaps the hydrogen, not that it didn't add to the demise which
looked a whole lot worst than it actually was, because lots of folks
managed to survive that horrific fiasco (better than most commercial
or military aircraft crashes).

~ BG