It’s official: It wasn’t a UFO that caused a wind turbine blade to come loose on a farm in the United Kingdom.

The 65-foot blade fell off because the bolts that fixed it to the hub no longer worked, according to a preliminary assessment by the manufacturer Enercon, reported the Daily Telegraph Wednesday. Enercon said “material fatigue� was the cause.

Some nearby residents said they had seen a flying saucer with “tentacles� on the night the blade came undone last month (check out this YouTube video). Dale Vince, a co-founder of Ecotricity, which operates the wind project, said he wasn’t surprised that aliens weren’t to blame.

“But there was part of me that did hope it was a UFO as it was a lovely story,� Vince said. “My favourite theory was that some alien race was trying to steal our turbine technology. They crossed galaxies to get here and when they arrive all they want is our wind technology. Wind power may be the holy grail of energy on Earth but not for stellar space travel.�

The UFO theory has garnered a lot of press for Ecotricity, which created a Web page called “ 'UFO' damage mystery roundup.�