Mythbusters crew mistakenly busts up a subdivision
Posted December 7, 2011 8:59 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA (NEWS1130) – If there was any doubt in your mind, we can now bust the myth that a cannonball fired towards a subdivision won’t do any damage.
The crew of the popular TV show Mythbusters found that out the hard way; They were using a homemade cannon at a police firing range in Alameda County, California when it misfired.
“This particular myth was to see if other materials could be fired out of a cannon as effectively as a cannonball,” explains Sergeant JD Nelson with the local Sheriff’s office.
It turns out the cannonball was indeed the most effective projectile. “We had some tremendous bad luck and some tremendous good luck” in that no one was hurt, says Nelson.
There was a bad bounce after the cannon was fired down the range and the cannonball tore through a nearby home, leaving a cantaloupe-sized hole.
Another homeowner tells CNN it also hit his house, where his mom was babysitting his 10-year-old son.
“She had no idea what was going on. It was a very loud boom and she thought a tree fell or maybe a meteor. It was not clear that it was some cannon ball landing on the roof,” he laughs, incredulously.
The cannonball then bounced across a busy four-lane road and smashed through the window and dashboard of a minivan that had been parked just minutes earlier.
Nelson, who is also a consultant for Mythbusters, didn’t know the exact size, speed or weight of the cannonball. The bomb range has been closed pending an investigation.
