R101 was a British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of the Imperial Airship Scheme. After initial flights and two enlargements to the lifting volume it crashed on 5 October 1930 in France during its maiden overseas voyage killing 48 people. Amongst airship accidents of the 1930s the loss of life was greater than in the Hindenburg disaster of 1937 and was second only to that of the USS Akron crash of 1933. The crash of R101 effectively ended British employment of rigid airships.
Made by RAF Cardington.