Wind turbine collapses at Narragansett beach in storm

Mar 2017Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantMechanicalProvisional

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part

Where: Salty Brine State Beach in Narragansett
What: Wind turbine collapsed during a nor'easter
Injuries: None reported
Cause: Dangerous gusts in the winter storm
Outcome: 100-foot lattice tower buckled, blades in snow

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What happened

A wind turbine at Salty Brine State Beach in Narragansett collapsed during a nor'easter. Winds were reported at more than 50 miles an hour. The 100-foot lattice tower buckled and the blades came to rest in the snow. The turbine supplied electricity to the beach bathhouse. Nobody was reported hurt.

Contributing factors

The report attributes the collapse to dangerous gusts in the winter storm. No engineering assessment of the tower was reported.

Lessons learned

Coastal lattice towers must be assessed for gusts above 50 mph in nor'easters, so operators should review design limits for winter storms.
After a storm, inspect lattice towers before anyone approaches a buckled structure to avoid secondary hazards.
Public turbines need a pre-set plan to isolate the asset and restore supply to served buildings such as bathhouses.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Turbine model and age
Engineering assessment of the tower
Downtime and repair cost

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Source

turnto10.com

Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Wind (onshore) incidents in the United States, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0853 holds the site, the operator, the owner, the root cause and what failed as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

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Wind (onshore) incidents in the United States: 105 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Wind turbine fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: wind turbine blade failures and wind turbine collapses.

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