A new piece of the Hindenburg puzzle has surfaced.

The precise trigger for the conflagration that brought down the Hindenburg has eluded experts for over 80 years, with theories about the airship’s fire ranging from deliberate sabotage to a spark generated by the stormy conditions in which it landed.

Watch "Hindenburg: The New Evidence," streaming now on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/h...

Despite two official investigations into the accident, one American and one German, the origin of the fire has largely remained a mystery. But newly analyzed amateur footage of the crash shows the airship’s final seconds from a fresh angle—allowing historians for the first time to see the airship from nose to tail just after the fire breaks out.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Directed by Kirk Wolfinger

Digital producer: Lorena Lyon

© WGBH Educational Foundation 2021