2 employees at UDOT to blame for errant shell

Utah transportation chiefs say two workers failed to follow procedure last week when they accidentally bombed a Pleasant Grove homeowner's back yard.

The result: The employees will be disciplined — but not fired.

"These two men are very experienced. Between them, they have 31 years of experience," said UDOT spokesman Tom Hudachko.

The extent of discipline has not yet been decided but may include suspension, Hudachko said.

"I'm confident that had our procedure been followed properly, this incident would not have occurred," said UDOT Deputy Director Carlos Braceras.

Braceras said avalanche-control workers using the howitzer cannon follow a step-by-step protocol that calls for the assistant gunner to watch the loader prepare the round by removing the right number of bags of propellant from the shell.

In this case, the loader did not remove the correct number of bags and the assistant gunner was not watching the loader.

Normally, rounds are launched with five bags of gunpowder known as a Charge 5 launch.

The round that landed in Pleasant Grove was a Charge 7 launch, or propelled by seven bags, according to Liam Fitzgerald, supervisor of UDOT's Avalanche Control Program.

The explosion from the 105 mm round meant to help with avalanche control instead missed the target in Provo Canyon and ended up in Scott Connors' back yard, carving out a 4-foot crater, demolishing a tool shed and peppering the home as well as the neighbor's car and nearby homes with pieces of metal.

The house suffered the most damage, and the Connors' 3-year-old son narrowly missed being hurt as he watched television in the family room. A big window was blown out, furniture torn, mirrors broken and interior walls on two levels riddled with holes.

Estimates for the damages, including a car across the street and two other home exteriors, are not yet finalized but may come to as much as $150,000, said Hudachko.

The families involved are having their individual homeowner's insurers deal with the estimates and repair work, after which UDOT will reimburse the insurance companies.

The Connors family is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

In the meantime, howitzer operations in Provo Canyon have been suspended for this season.

If avalanche control is needed, helicopters will be sent to drop hand-charges, something better weather offers as an option.

"The storms this past week were so spotty and isolated that we didn't need to do anything in Provo Canyon," Hudachko said. "Plus the need starts to diminish this time of year anyway."

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E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com