On 5 October 1930, the Airship R101 left Britain and crushed in Northern France. Forty-six passengers and crew on board burnt to death, including Sir Sefton Bracker and others at the top of the Air Ministry. It was a shocking catastrophe and stopped the idea of airships being a viable alternative to airplanes in Britain. The idea had been that R101 would fly to India and, due in part to its large size, would not need as many stops for fuel as an aircraft making a similar journey.
