The toppled wind turbine at Ardara can be seen on the left of the picture
DD EXCLUSIVE: An investigation is underway after a 80 ft wind turbine came crashing to the ground in strong winds near Ardara.
The windmill is one of nine located at Maas on the backroad near Ardara.
It is believed the wind turbine came down overnight when winds were gusting in the area to 80km/hr.
However the fact the turbine crashed in conditions it should otherwise have easily coped with has puzzled experts.
Nobody was hurt during the incident.
The company which runs the windfarm, Vestas, has arrived on site and is carrying out a full investigation.
“These turbines aren’t supposed to fall down, the weather wasn’t that bad,” said one source in the company.
A gate at the entrance to the windfarm has been locked while engineers and investigators examine the cause of the accident.
Locals in the area have been traveling to see the toppled turbine.
The nine unit windfarm is the only one in the immediate area but there are plans for more windfarms nearby.
One eye-witness said the windmill has completely toppled over but that the winds in the area have since died down.
“There were strong winds in the area overnight so I presume that’s when it came down.
“I’m sure the company will have to examine the other turbines in the area to see if they are secure,” he said.