Are UFOs to blame for wind turbine damage?
A badly damaged wind turbine remains the centre of a mystery after its rotor was left mangled.
One of the giant blades was ripped from the 200ft turbine in the incident, which scores of residents near the Conisholme development in north Lincolnshire claim featured unexplained bright lights in the sky.
Some claimed to have seen a huge “octopus” shaped object complete with tentacles, while others witnessed unexplained bright lights flying at a low altitude.
Down to earth?
However, a more prosaic suggestion has also been made – a simple mechanical failure may have resulted in the blade dropping off.
Fraser McLachlan, chief executive of GCube, which insures more than 25,000 wind turbines around the world, said each year there are a handful of cases of blades spontaneously shearing from the main hub.
Other theories include ice inside the blades, a frozen block of urine being dropped from a plane, and plain vandalism.
A spokesman for Ecotricity, which runs the farm, confirmed the missing blade has now been found at the site, and said the wind turbines have equipment which can measure unusual phenomena such as vibrations.
The company’s website states: “Engineers are carrying out a thorough investigation.
“We don’t as yet have any evidence that points us to a cause…but speculation in the press is rife.”
Certainly UFO expert Nick Pope is keeping the mystery alive.
He suggested to the Louth Leader newspaper that one possibility for the incident could be a secret Russian reconnaissance plane.
He also told the Telegraph that not enough was being done to investigate the matter, and added that the witnesses should be interviewed “under controlled conditions”, along with the checking of civil and military radar tapes.
“Our challenge should be to investigate and find out what on earth it was that did collide with this thing,” he added.
“Given the sheer sturdiness of these turbines, logic does suggest that if an aircraft had collided, yes, it would have crashed.
“There are an awful lot of things that could be done, and I’m concerned they’re not being done.”
However, a Ministry of Defence Spokesman said: “Unless there is evidence of a potential threat, there is no attempt to identify the nature of each sighting reported.”
IMAGES Chris Radburn/PA Wire
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Originally posted 2009-01-09 07:40:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
