StarshipCapricorn User Forum

Well, the wind turbines are located on the Louth Marshes, so it is understandable why "swamp gas" was (sarcastically, I believe) put forward as an explanation for the reported lights. Personally, I think the most likely scenario is a bearing or root failure on the blade that broke free and it hit one of the other blades on the way past, inflicting damage on that too. A large lump of ice is also feasible, either flung off one of the other turbines nearby (apparently they have had problems with the blade de-icing systems) or a chunk of ice from an overflying airliner. Far fetched though the latter may seem, it has happened many times in the past, the ice falling harmlessly to the ground somewhere, but occasionally it has been known to hit cars, crash through rooftops or splash into village ponds. I don't believe it's selective, so if something is in the way it'll get hit! And a chunk of ice the size of a small doorstep rattling down from 30,000 feet would just about do, I would think. Then, of course, it shatters and is spread around on the ground where it eventually melts. Ergo: no evidence.

The interesting witness statement was the one about the huge glowing light with "tentacles" reaching down around the turbine tower. Could that have been a rare ball lightning or plasma ball merely seeking an earth path down the steel tower?
Best wait for the official report, I reckon, then de-bunk that if it is really silly and far fetched........

Last edited by Quercus (2009-01-11 22:33:35)

Assuming it was turning at optimum speed when struck, but it might not have been turning at all, or only relatively slowly and the blade may not have broken away cleanly...Who knows? They found the AWOL blade on the ground. The whole story has taken a different turn now, so it will be interesting to hear the eventual explanation from TPTB. I am not convinced it was British Aerospace's  prototype "Taranis" UAV. We'll see.

Mike