George Patterson wrote:

Jay Honeck wrote:


From the TV footage, it's hard to tell whether they were trying to
come down, or whether a down-draft drove them down, but they hit hard
and the crew was trapped inside the wreckage, briefly.


Witnesses said the aircraft came down tail first. Apparently they were
trying to climb.

Not clear. My understanding is the attitude of an airship is set by
small "ballonettes" with the gas bag. These are controlled by levers on
the ceiling of the pilot's area. It is not necessary to point the ship
up in order to climb because climbing is accomplished by dumping balast,
water or sand.

In fact the fans (engines) are used for steering, not for lift because
there are no wings. For that reason, a multi-engine certificate is not
required for the pilot.

My guess is they got into a microburst. This is an intense downdraft
following a thunderstorm. All aircraft should avoid flying near
thunderstorms.