[Mythbusters] TV Stunt Goes Awry, Sends Cannonball Rocketing Through Homes

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com ^ | 12-07-2011 | Staff

[Red Badger]

DUBLIN, Calif. (CBS) — A cast iron cannonball rocketed through two homes and landed inside a minivan Tuesday when a “Mythbusters” TV experiment went wrong.

Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are hosts of the scientific experimentation show, which airs on The Discovery Channel. The pair was reportedly trying to figure out how fast a cannonball would travel, when it misfired and shot hundreds of feet in the air.

“This cannonball was supposed to go through several barrels of water and through a cinder block, and then ultimately into the side of the hill,” said J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.

Instead the cannonball flew over the foothills surrounding Camp Parks Military Firing Reservation, before spiraling back toward Dublin like a cruise missile.

It flew straight though the front door of a home on Cassata Place, and bounced around like a pinball, flying up to the second floor before blasting through a back bedroom wall.

The wayward cannonball then blasted across a busy road and through a second home some 50 yards away, demolishing roof tiles.

The homeowner’s mother was frightened.

“”It was a very loud boom; she thought a tree fell, maybe a meteor,” said Ming Jiang. “It wasn’t clear that it was a cannonball landing on the roof.”

The out of control cannonball finally came to a stop inside Jasper Gill’s minivan.

“It hit the dash, through the passenger window,” said Gill, who had gotten out of the vehicle just 10 minutes before the ball struck. “I’m lucky I’m alive.”

Incredibly, no one was injured in the mishap.

Officials said Mythbusters had been using the firing reservation for the last eight years for similar experiments, but none had gone awry.

[Jack Hydrazine]

He’s such a fraud that even a pic like that makes him look like a fraud, a wax figure, a statue, a deception.

[RinaseaofDs]

Journalists are idiots.

Cannonballs are ballistic. Cruise missiles have propulsion AND guidance.

“before spiraling back toward Dublin like a cruise missile”

Cannonballs ‘spiraling’ - like a cruise missile.

My daughter is 11 and understands the difference. There are probably cattle that understand the difference.

Monkey’s fling poo at people, and DEFINITELY get the difference.

[Eye of Unk]

Mythbusters seems to have been cancelled today.

I don’t know if its normal but usually every Wednesday there is at least several episodes, none this week.

[matt04]

Due to the fact that no one was hurt and only minor property damage occurred, personally I would seal the hole up from the outside and get the cast to sign it with “Mythbusters was here.”

[Kleon]

I’ve never heard of these guys before, so I visited their website, and there are explosions all over the place, and in one picture a guy is tied to a missile. Seems like they’re just a bunch of adult-children who don’t understand that these things aren’t toys. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

[Oztrich Boy]

Recently there was an American version of First Gear on another channel, well I am a huge fan of the BBC First Gear but these jokers were trying to duplicate everything the BBC show did and did it horribly, I watched three episodes and quit, no more ever.

It's Top Gear, and although I've only seen the first two TGUS shows so far, I concur. Second episode: presenter in crossover AWD races two skiers down a mountain (Richard Hammond already did this, without getting stuck behind a alow moving truck on a paved road - excitement!)

Top Gear Australia was a little (lot) rough around the edges, but at least they showed some initative in thinking up local challenges. Their second episode: Most ore moved out of the Kalgoolie Super Pit/time by presenters (driving ute pickups) vs The Stig, driving a regular mining truck.

The Kalgoolie Super Pit

Those dots are the regular mine trucks, which are a bit larger that the utes used

[SMGFan]

Adam Savage apology
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/12/mythbusters-accident-adam-savage-apologizes.html

[Red Badger]

They are former Hollywood SFX stuntmen, IIRC......................

[Red Badger]

I think the misconception started in the 50’s when they invented ‘Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles’, ICBM’s. People began to think that ‘ballistic’ meant capable of being targeted and guided...................

[Tatze]

The cannon was aimed at some water containers, but the shot missed the water, tore through a cinder-block wall, skipped off a hillside and flew some 700 yards east, right into the Tassajara Creek neighborhood.

That was a statement from County Sheriff J.D. Nelson, who has been a bomb expert on Mythbusters many times. I would bet that he was there on the range with them for this shoot as well.

[PapaBear3625]

That was a statement from County Sheriff J.D. Nelson, who has been a bomb expert on Mythbusters many times. I would bet that he was there on the range with them for this shoot as well.

That's likely the problem. They relied upon a bomb expert for safety advice, despite the fact that he likely has zero experience with the behavior of high-velocity cannonballs.

They should have had a Civil War/Revolutionary War reenactor with experience with cannons.

[Squantos]

http://www.militarymuseum.org/CpParks.html

Yep......

[GSWarrior]

As a general rule, I am immediately suspicious of someone wearing a beret.

[saminfl]

Thanks.

[POWERSBOOTHEFAN]

Imagine sitting there,minding your own P’s and Q’s,when a cannonball falls through your roof?

I’m sorry but that’s funny,at least in terms of a movie.

I’m picturing someone in a comedy just sitting there when this cannonball falls through their roof.