UFO experts believe mystery of wrecked wind turbine could be final proof that we are not alone
By David Wilkes
Last updated at 6:37 PM on 08th January 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... alone.htmlIt started with reports of strange lights in the sky and sightings of unidentified flying objects. Then, say some, came an ear-splitting bang at 4am.
The next morning one of the 60ft blades from a 200ft high wind turbine was found ripped off. Another had been left twisted and useless.
So far, the cause of the spooky goings-on at a wind farm in Conishiolme, north east Lincolnshire, remain unexplained.
And inevitably, excitement is growing among UFO experts who believe that a flying saucer crashed into the turbine and that this incident could, at last, provide the evidence of other life forms they have been waiting for all their lives.
Turbine
Mystery: The damaged wind turbine, with one of its blades ripped off, in Conisholme, Lincolnshire
One eyewitness John Harrison, of nearby Saltfleetby, said he had seen a 'massive ball of light' with 'tentacles going right down to the ground' over the wind farm. 'It was an incredible sight, I have never seen anything like it before. I have no idea what it was,' he said.
Dorothy Willows, who lives half a mile from the scene, said she saw orangey-yellow spheres skimming across the sky.
'I don't believe in UFO's but it was a low flying object,' said Mrs Willows. Her husband Stephen was woken by a sudden noise hours later on Sunday morning when the damage to turbines happened. Could that have been the sound of a UFO hitting it?
Today, local council chief Robert Palmer said he had seen a 'round object with a slight red trim hovering near the top of the turbines' that night too.
'When I heard what had happened I was slightly worried so I've called for a full health and safety review,' said Mr Palmer, 66, who is chairman of East Lindsey District council. 'If the aliens are coming, I want to be there to meet and greet them.'
Today I visited the scene and, while I failed to see any little green men, I did find four little men in green uniforms. They were friendly enough, if slightly uncommunicative, and had travelled there in a van rather than a spaceship.
They were employees of Ecotricty, the green electricity company that built the wind farm, and were there 'monitoring' the situation.
Surveying the bleak fenland landscape, I struggled to understand what would drive aliens to visit Conisholme, a hamlet of a dozen or so homes and farms.
There are no shops and no pub, but oddly there is an ice cream parlour. The only other attraction is the seal sanctuary in nearby North Somercotes.
All this place seemed to offer a visitor from another planet was flat terrain that might make an ideal landing spot after their long voyage.
The wind turbine
Strange goings-on: Locals reported seeing the lights joined in formation
The nearest resident, a lady who lives in a ramshackle cottage yards from the wind farm, where there are 20 turbines, agreed with me, despite admitting that she does believe in 'other beings'.
'I'm a very light sleeper and I didn't hear or see a thing on Sunday night,' said the 67 year old householder, who would only identify herself as Sheila.
'I hope that one day we will see aliens, but I doubt it will happen in that field. I've lived here for 20 years and nothing interesting has ever happened here. Except them building the wind farm, of course.'
Ah yes, the wind farm. Opened last April it produces enough green electricity each year to power 13,000 homes.
But it wasn't exactly welcomed by the locals, some of whom consider it a bit of an eyesore and along with environmental groups unsuccessfully opposed its planning application.
No one, however, is suggesting that angry farmers are to blame for the damage. How could they have possibly reached the blade to damage it, let alone pull it off? So what did happen?
Lesley Whittingham
Witness: Lesley Whittingham took a photograph of the lights, below. She said they remained in the sky for several minutes
Picture of light in the sky
UFO expert Nick Pope, a former head of the Ministry of Defence's UFO Project, told me: 'This is a really bizarre case. What's particularly interesting and exciting is that because there's been a collision, there will be residue of the object involved on the damaged part of the turbine.
'Forensic science will enable this material to be recovered and analysed, exactly as happens in a road traffic accident where a driver fails to stop at the scene.
This elevates this UFO case, because with most sightings all you have is eyewitness testimony or indistinct and shaky film footage taken on a mobile phone.
'Here's an opportunity to do some hard science. Given that this case can be properly investigated, I believe the MoD and Civil Aviation Authority should take immediate action.
'The description of the UFO as having tentacles is also highly unusual. I've only heard of a handful of such sightings before. Most UFO sightings involve craft that are triangular, disc-shaped, cigar-shaped or involve balls of light.'
windfarm
The location of the windfarm, near North Somercotes in Lincolnshire
Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, which has built 50 of the total 800 turbines in England, said investigations have so far found no evidence of a collision with an object or an animal. Nor has anything been found to suggest a lightning strike.
'The cause is still a mystery,' he told me. 'But we have been able to rule out ice on the blade as a cause.'
The turbines' manufacturer, Enercon, which is based in Germany, has sent over engineers to help with the investigation in to the cause of the damage, which is expected to last several more days.
A spokeswoman at nearby RAF Scampton, where the Red Arrows are based, said they did not have any flights at the weekend.
The Ministry of Defence said it was not looking into the incident as there was no evidence of a threat to UK airspace.
As darkness fell over Conisholme last night, another possible explanation for the mysterious lights in the sky emerged - a firework party. But that would not account for the wrecked blades so, for the moment at least, the sleepy hamlet is very much part of Britain's X Files.