Quote Originally Posted by mklotz View Post
If the mechanism that feathers the blades in high winds fails, the blades will spin faster and faster. Folks living nearby might notice the speedup and anticipate what the results might be.

Recently I watched a TV documentary that described the problems they're having with erosion of the leading edges of the blades and the efforts required to repair said damage before a blade fracture occurs. While blade weakening may certainly be a factor here, I think the real culprit is malfunction of the feathering equipment and the resultant overspeeding of the blades.
I thought that failure to regulate speed in high winds was the reason for failure.