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Natural and Man-Made Disasters

Hindenburg

Were there any other airship disasters before Hindenburg?

Yes, as Hugo Eckener (1868–1954) and his Zeppelin Company laid plans in 1934 to build the large and luxurious Hindenburg, most other nations with airship programs had either abandoned them or were about to, since all had experienced disastrous and fatal crashes. One of these was when a British dirigible R-101 burned on October 5, 1930, northwest of Paris while on her maiden voyage to Australia. That disaster claimed 54 lives.