Structural Engineering Accidents and DisastersHindenburg: An Unnecessary DisasterIn the 1930s, airships, better known today as "blimps", were the main source of air transport. During this period, airships were used for a variety of reasons such as: bombing enemy targets, patrolling coastal areas, escorting warships at night or across dangerous bodies of water, or being used to carry out airships. luxury flights across the Atlantic. The Hindenburg was considered the largest and most sophisticated aircraft ever built. The Hindenburg was built with a metal frame and a balloon-shaped covering. It was as long as three football fields and weighed more than 240 tons. This airship looked lovely, but it had a significant flaw that ultimately caused its ruin. The Hindenburg's outer skin was filled with hydrogen, which was extremely flammable. Passengers preparing to board the aircraft were required to remove all lighters, matches and/or any other objects that could cause a fire. Traveling from Europe, the Hindenburg was scheduled to arrive in the United States and land in New Jersey. on May 6, 1937. Max Pruss was the captain, there were thirteen passengers and twenty-two crew members on board. Hundreds of people awaited the Hindenburg, including passengers' relatives, journalists, photographers, New Jersey citizens, and ninety-two ground crew members. The plane's landing was slightly delayed due to thunderstorms and aggressive winds. Eventually the weather calmed and the Hindenburg airship began to land in Jersey. One of the spectators noticed a pale pink glow in the lower center of the ship. Everyone started getting intense because they felt like the glow wasn't supposed to be there. Seconds later, this section of the airship exploded! Of course, all the spectators backed away quickly, but were still close by when the entire Hindenburg airship and most of its passengers burst into flames. Parts of the Hindenburg actually remained together, but they are only preserved today for research. One of the passengers on board the flight, a fourteen-year-old boy, climbed out of a window to try to escape the airship's fires. As he advanced, one of the water tanks burst and the flames on his clothes and body were extinguished. The US Bureau of Air Commerce gave the following statement to explain the explosion. “A small amount of explosive mixture (hydrogen) in the upper part of the ship could have been ignited by…{an} electrical phenomenon such as a ball of lightning..