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Wind (onshore)United StatesEIR-1288

Wind turbine blade fails at Big Turtle Wind Farm

Nov 2018Published 25 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantMechanicalProvisional
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordFailed part hidden
Where
near Port Hope
What
wind turbine blade failed early that morning
Cause
Not reported

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Heritage Sustainable Energy

What happened

A wind turbine blade failed early on a Wednesday morning at the Big Turtle Wind Farm in Bloomfield Township, west of Port Hope, Huron County. A report dated 29 November 2018 said turbine 14, off Minden Road and north of Dobson Road, was affected. Company officials, the operations manager of Heritage Sustainable Energy and the turbine manufacturer secured the area, and an investigation into the cause was to begin. Images from the scene appeared to show that the blade had delaminated, but the report said there would be no official determination until the investigation was completed. Injuries and any damage beyond the turbine were not reported.

Contributing factors

The cause was not reported. Images appeared to show delamination, but that was not an official finding.

Lessons learned

  1. Apparent blade damage in scene images should be treated as unconfirmed until investigation.
  2. Securing the area after a blade failure limits secondary risk while the cause is unknown.
  3. A joint review by the operator and the manufacturer supports a clearer account of the failure.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Operator of the turbine
  • Country and site name
  • Damage, debris or response details
  • Any outage or cost

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

windaction.org

Other entries that name Turtle

Published 2026-09-25. 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).

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.

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