兴登堡号飞船在启航的第二年，即1937年5月6日，在一次例行载客飞行中从法兰克福飞往美国新泽西州的雷克霍斯特海军航空站。准备着陆的飞船在离地面300英尺的空中起火，船体内的氢气和易燃的蒙皮导致大火迅速蔓延，飞艇在34秒内被焚毁，造成飞艇上的97位乘客中的36人及地面上的1人死亡，这成为当时航空界最惨重的灾难之一。人们提出了多种理论来解释飞艇起火的原因，包括静电、雷击和引擎故障等，也有人认为飞艇是因遭到蓄意破坏而起火。

美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）领空安全高级调查员Greg Feith于纪录片《重返危机现场》提出这灾难是由于船长急转使钢索断裂打破氢气囊、为赶时间于下雨期间强行降落、静电打火引燃泄漏的氢气引发大火。

The Hindenburg disaster occurred on May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers and 61 crewmen), there were 35 fatalities (13 passengers and 22 crewmen). One worker on the ground was also killed, making a total of 36 fatalities.