Third turbine failure in three years at North Fork Ridge Wind Farm, Missouri
July 2026Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- North Fork Ridge Wind Farm, Barton County, Missouri
- Operator
- Liberty Utilities
- What
- Wind turbine collapsed
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Not determined
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Liberty Utilities
What happened
On 31 July 2026, around midday, a wind turbine collapsed at the North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in Barton County, Missouri, operated by Liberty Utilities. Local residents reported hearing the structure come down. The turbine's base door had broken off and all blades were on the ground. No individuals were near the site at the time and no injuries were reported. Liberty Utilities secured the site and stated it was assessing the situation.
This is the third turbine failure event at the same wind farm in under three years: a November 2023 lightning strike caused two blades to detach from a turbine, and a January 2024 incident saw a turbine's blades and base collapse entirely into a pile of debris. The wind farm, completed in early 2021, comprises 69 turbines around 400 feet tall, extending to about 600 feet with blades.
Contributing factors
The cause of the July 2026 collapse had not been determined at the time of reporting. A prior failure at the same site in November 2023 was attributed to a lightning strike. The cause of a January 2024 full turbine collapse at the site was not reported.
Lessons learned
- Three turbine failures at one wind farm in under three years require a fleet-wide inspection of all 69 units rather than isolated fixes.
- A turbine collapse at hub height scatters blades and base sections, so operators must maintain an exclusion zone until debris is cleared.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Turbine model and age
- Cost of damage and downtime
- Full root cause of the 2026 collapse
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Site page: North Fork Ridge Wind Energy Center (status, dates and other incidents)
Other entries that name Fork
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
