Howitzer Misses Snow Slope, Hits Backyard
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SALT LAKE CITY — Two avalanche-safety workers will be disciplined for misfiring a 105-mm howitzer, sending a round into a backyard, state officials said Friday.
The explosion would not have happened if the workers had followed state procedures, said Carlos Braceras, Transportation Department deputy director.
The two workers, who were not identified, were trying to set loose an avalanche before it could rip down onto U.S. Route 189 in Provo Canyon, but they sent the shell sailing with too much propellant and overshot the steep slope.
The round was supposed to travel fewer than 4,000 yards, but instead flew about 9,000 yards.
No one was injured, but the shell left a crater in a backyard and sent shrapnel flying into a house.
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