Plot Synopsis

Set against the background of the Hindenburg disaster, which took place on May 6, 1937 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Manchester, NJ, HINDENBURG: THE LAST FLIGHT tells the fictional story of Merten Kroger, the lead design engineer of the legendary hydrogen zeppelin, and his great love, Jennifer van Zandt. A man of meager means, Merten falls in love with Jennifer, a wealthy socialite beyond his reach. Her father, Edward van Zandt, is a wealthy, American oil industrialist with power and privilege, whose desire to gain riches will stop at nothing -- even if it means putting the Hindenburg, its passengers and its crew in danger. Jennifer and her mother Helen are on board the airship when Merten discovers a German-American conspiracy to destroy the zeppelin, and he tries everything to prevent the pending disaster while revealing a murderous conspiracy that leads to the devastating catastrophe. The Hindenburg disaster was one of the most dramatic accidents in the history of aviation, as the airship went down in flames after fire spread quickly and engulfed the zeppelin. The fire took the lives of 35 passengers and crew onboard the airship and one grounds man. The true cause of the accident continues to remain officially undetermined, although conspiracy theories abound. These conspiracy theories started immediately after the disaster and were re-ignited following the 1975 movie THE HINDENBURG starring George C. Scott and Anne Bancroft, but scientists recently built models that identified static electricity as the most likely cause of the disaster. As part of "The Big Miniseries Showcase," Encore aired the U.S. premiere of this two-part miniseries on Monday, March 11 and Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 8pm ET.