December 7th, 2011
03:39 PM ET
'MythBusters' cannonball sails through neighborhoodThe Discovery Channel's San Francisco-based series "MythBusters" caught some California residents by surprise when a cannonball accidentally tore through a neighborhood during filming. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the television show was taping an experiment Tuesday afternoon at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb disposal range. The paper describes the scene as involving large containers filled with water and a homemade, cantaloupe-sized cannonball. When the cannonball was fired, it missed the water containers and instead blasted through a wall and bounced its way into a suburban neighborhood about 700 yards east, the paper says.
The cannonball had quite a trajectory, shooting through the front door of a family's home and sailing through one of the bedrooms before crash-landing into a minivan occupied by a father and his 13-year-old son. According to Entertainment Weekly, no one was injured in the accident but the car and the home have been damaged. (The Chronicle noted that the cannonball left a "perfectly round hole in the stucco" of the house, right next to a second-floor window.) In a statement to EW, Discovery and the production company for "MythBusters" explain that "During the testing, a cannonball took an unforeseen bounce from a safety berm," and that a bomb technician that works for the Alameda County Sheriff's office was on hand to assist. "All proper safety protocol was observed," the statement says. "Beyond Productions is currently assessing the situation and working with those whose property was affected." The Chronicle notes that "MythBusters," which has previously used the Alameda County Sheriff's Department's bomb disposal range without any mishaps, does have insurance in case of accidents. The show doesn't pay for use of the space, but does donate to the department in addition to giving it exposure. UPDATE 6:25 p.m. – Discovery released the following statement: "Everyone at MythBusters, Beyond Productions and Discovery Channel is incredibly thankful that no one was injured and are very sorry for the disruption that this has caused for both the families affected, and the entire community of Dublin. The comfort and safety of the families affected is our utmost concern. We have offered immediate housing and transportation assistance and will continue to assess their needs. We are cooperating fully with investigators, and are currently assessing yesterday’s incident to ensure an incident like this does not happen again."
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Sounds like someone's insurance rates are going to go up. Bet it's a while before they blow stuff up again at this bomb range.
Stuff happens. This is one of those times they need to be in the middle of no place land,then fire it off. My question is will they put that one on tv?
Awesome. I haven't seen the video. Was Adam cackling away as usual?
Exactly what myth were they trying to bust? That one can shoot a cannonball thru a neighborhood, and not get arrested for it?
at least the myth wasnt busted
Confirmed?
you can't stop the inevitable. but you can do the best to prevent it. next time, try shooting to a hill with an overhang.
Myth happens.
" 'All proper safety protocol was observed,' the statement says."
ummm... obviously not.
just so everyone knows, it was Tory, Grant and Carrie that fired the cannon, not Jamie and Adam.
This was down the street from my house. Lots of excitement in the neighborhood as you can imagine. The part in this story about "crash-landing into a minivan occupied by a father and his 13-year-old son" is not accurate. It DID land in a minivan, but the car was unoccupied at the time.
Can't wait to see the episode!
Well there's your problem!
Mythbusters is a safe TV show – MYTH BUSTED
Don't try this at home – Let us try it at your home instead!
Clearly something went wrong confirmed ,house busted. water drums would have stoped the shell,plausable asuming the water drums were hit! water is of course 850 times as dense as air. and could stop fast moving projectile if there is enough water. Iwonder what miyth they were trying to bust!
Curious what was the myth they were trying to bust? That you could safely fire a homemade cannon? Stick to potato guns fellows...
Everywhere EXCEPT CNN has that info... it was a myth about whether or not other objects could have the same kinetic force as a cannonball, when fired from a cannon. They were firing the actual cannonball on the test range as part of a calibration test, to get a baseline to test other objects against.
watch out below!
Oh, man. If that happened to my house, I'd be so stoked. I'd just ask them to pay for damages, and in return for my trouble, let me press the button to make something explode in a future episode.
Seriously... as long as nobody was hurt, just let me be a special guest on an episode where I get to light a fuse, shoot a .50 cal, and hit a detonator.
Oh, and maybe get 5 minutes to convince Kari why she should leave her husband for me...
And we'll call it even.
BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like quite the "myth"hap.
I lived in Dublin for awhile in the neighborhood just below the hills as you come in from Oakland. I can't imagine where there is room to shoot off cannons. Maybe 20 years ago when sprawl hasn't totally taken over, but now? I hope they put this on the show itself to show that even the pros can goof up, as many safety measures as they take. Now I want to see even more cannon myths.
Busted...
exactly , it was a `bomb disposal range` no longer an artillerry range. Big diff. Its like racing on the freeway. They used it for a purpose that it was no longer zoned for. They need to do the grownup frat boy stunts in the middle of the desert. Like white sands missle range.
Pretty sure a homemade cannon doesn't fit into the "artillery" category, dude...
I am glad no one was hurt. I would hate to see this show canceled. Especially since they would probably replace it with yet nother reality show ... Glad everyione is ok.
... yet another reality show... as opposed to Mythbusters... which is... ?
A cannonball goes over 700 yards, through a house and into a minivan.. and people say it's cool.
Only on Mythbusters 🙂
These two idiots need to spend the rest of their lives in jail for the danger they subjected those poor people to.
Dave...really...can you lighten up even a little bit? I doubt you even watch TV, much less have ever seen these two.
And it wasn't even THEM that did it, it was Grant, Tori and Kari... have a Thorazine and watch some cartoons...
AWSOME!! Kids don't try this at home. we are what you call professionals! can you imagine if a beer drinking ,drunken redneck was in the house watching T.V., when all of a sudden BOOOM!!! here comes a cannon ball through the front door? now that's must see T.V.
Imagine having to call your boss the next day, explaining why you're taking the day off? "Uh... hey boss... look, I'm not coming in today... no, I'm not sick... a cannonball crashed through my wall last night, gotta wait for the TV crew's insurance company to get here... "
OOPS!
i want to shoot my cannon into Kari Byron.
Had to be said, thanks. That's some hot geek momma right there.
so when are they gonna try to make a backpack nuke and test it out just for fun. Oops, sorry bout the radiation.
This is inexcusable. I hope they give them more than temporary housing. They should pay their insurance premiums, anything insurance doesn't cover (is cannonball through house covered?), for anything they lost (even if it's just a shoe), and for any therapy they may need for being nearly killed, for starters....
Relax Jan... Coverage won't be in question because it is not the homeowners policy that will dictate coverage but the coverage afforded Mythbusters by the Mythbusters Insurance company who I'm sure has made a small fortune insuring some of their higher risk experiments. Secondly the production company and the Mythbusters are not stupid, they don't want anymore bad publicity and will take whatever financial steps are necessary to prevent further bad press. All in all I think the people affected will make out quite nicely.
I wonder if they're gonna show that bit in the episode
Great show,
Repair my damages and give me set access for the life of the show and all would be forgiven!
I have actually been out to that Bomb Disposal Range. I have often wondered when one of their experiments was going to go wrong, and the very close adjacent neighborhood would get involved in their experiments.
I am very glad nobody was injured. That said, I think it might be a good idea for Mythbusters to move their experiments to an alternate location. Say down in the Mojave Desert somewhere. Maybe even Edwards Air Force Base?
They have used the area at the Alameda Shipyard before for some of their "Long Range" experiments; such as the Wood Cannon.
They never found that projectile. I'll bet its at the bottom of the bay.
Just food for thought.
"How the hell does a residential neighborhood get built next to a bomb disposal range?"
Define "next to". However far away the neighborhood is, if there is nothing in between, then you'd still be able to say the neighborhood is "next to" a bomb range. 700 yards is nearly a half mile of clear area, and I am sure explosives are not set off at the very edge of the property.
As far as people criticizing them for not observing all safety protocalls, you can't predict or prevent every absurd outcome. And if you never did anything if you weren't 100% sure it was safe, you'd surely never drive to work in the morning.
By the way, water-filled garbage cans are very effective at absorbing impact energy. They're commonly used on highways to protect what would otherwise be solid impact points. Check next time you drive by highway road construction.
Thank you for posting a rational response. It's appreciated, especially in this forum.
who forgot to caculate the inches into centimeters? Adam or Jamie?
well for all of you who say sue them what if you were the pros shoes. you would be asking for forgiviness so uh cool no jugding. accidents happen thank god no one died.
Carefully amd safely staged, I mean.
Yes, MB are awesome. But maybe looking for a ratings boost? How many people have said they are NOT watching the episode?
One of the facts that, once again, CNN missed, is that the footage will NOT be aired. It's part of the agreement made with the people whose home was damaged. Definitely NOT a staged ratings booster.
So... Was the myth busted??
Good thing they wernt testing .50 calibre rifles , slugs can travel over a mile easy.
oops, we almost killed someone doing a stunt. But its ok we have insurance and are `professionals`. look at the airplane racing crash from not too long ago. Everyone is getting sued but no one forced the spectators to be there. In this case the bomb disposal site was being usedfor a purpose that it most likely no longer zoned for, as i dont see a housing development being allowed near an `active` gunnery range. Im sure if someone had been killed by that cannonball, the lawyers would have been making big $$$ for themselves, and some for the plaintiffs.
This is some how a epic win cuz it went through sum houses and into a car XD lol
how do u `cut a hole` out of wall and have it framed. Now if u had said cut the wall with the hole showing, that would make sense. i know its semantics but i know american education must be better than this.
Reporting does not always mean factual statements. Got it?
MythBusters mythed up.
Really? This cannonball was made of iron, 10 inches in diameter, probably weighed 30 or 40 pounds if not more, went over 700 yards, through a front door, a wall, and then a car car window. Did they really think they would stop it with a big bucket of water?
There is a lot of misinformation and damage control going on here.
Importantly, video from another news site clearly showed those water filled containers to be trashcans, at least one with a hole blown completely through it, rupturing the can. There was no miss, unless they mean that the cannonball did not go through enough trashcans.
Also, the person who owned the car was recorded on the video as saying they had just vacated the car, and were not sitting in it.
I did not know that reporting facts was so hard.
"All proper safety protocol was observed." I hope they enlighten us as to the proper safety protocols for cannon use within range of a residential neighborhood.
PS I hope they reach a settlement with the home and vehcile owners, so we can see this one on TV!
Water is one of the best force-stoppers on the planet. It can't be compressed, it absorbs energy like crazy (remember the episode where they fired progressively larger and larger calibre rifles into the pool, and the bullets broke up within 3 feet? And THOSE were traveling dozens, if not hundreds, of times faster, with more kinetic energy).
So yes, every reason to believe that canisters of water would, in fact, stop a cannonball, quite handily.
firstly I doubt it was a bucket. Large containers of water actually have a lot of stopping power
BUT there was quill behind that as well. Like many shooting ranges and such have as extra protection. However after missing the water the ball BOUNCED when it struck the hill at a shallow angle
It's not like the only thing between the town and the cannon was a water container
I gotta watch that show so I can see how thay did it so I can try it too.
Can we get these guys to start doing their experiments just outside Capitol Hill? Any mishaps resulting there will be a win-win. Guaranteed.
I really hope this doesn't mean the end of the show. It's one of a few that have actually been worth watching.
I think this is hilarious! I'm so glad no one got hurt, but yes, BD, I too think this is awesome!
That is so COOL!!!!! Way to Go Jamie!!!!!
"All proper safety protocol was observed," ...This is what they say and then they shoot a cannon ball thru someone's house. They're lucky they didn't kill someone.
Remember folks , don't try this at home. We're what you call "EXPERTS".....rofl
I think we can CONFIRM that that MYTH has been BUSTED!!!
I love these guys! I'd be honored if one of their experiments put a hole in the side of my house.
No kidding. I'd cut the hole out of the wall and have it framed. Maybe even autographed if I could get them to.
Honestly, accidents happen. They followed the safety protocol as best they could and were supervised by professionals, including law enforcement. This was just a simple mishap. It's not like they were intentionally skipping steps or cutting corners on safety protocol.
As long as they are willing to own up to their mistakes, and their insurance compensates for the damage done to the home and minivan, there's no reason to get so upset.
Swamp Peeple is a cooler show and u learn useful things
i'm using this for homework lol when did it happen?
Of course mistakes happen – just look at our overcrowded prisons, jails, animal shelters, etc. People having kids or pets and not prepared to raise them....
Its a great show – it makes science cool and is already leading to a new generation of cool geeks.
I can hardly wait to see this episode!!! Please tell me they are going to air it... pleeeeaaaaassseee!!!!
I hope this doesn't mark the end of Mythbusters. Jamie and Adam are amazing.
Leave it to CN to call this a missile!
Why is a bomb disposal range located 700 yards from a residential area??
The range was there 20 years before the development... So your question should be, Why is that development next to a bomb range?
That's the first thing I asked myself while reading this. Now that the other commenter clarified, my new question is: how the hell does a residential neighborhood get built next to a bomb disposal range? I'm a huge fan of the Mythbusters (they actually based an entire episode on my myth suggestions, no BS!) and any episode involving a myth that needs to be tested there is always awesome because you now something is gonna get blown up big-time. Even if the myth is busted, they still end up stepping things up just for the sake of blowing something up. But having seen some of the stuff they've done on the show there, I just CAN NOT BELIEVE there are people living 700 yards away! How does a realtor sell a house there? Who buys a house there? Are there any horse socks?
@ TheGreat, their is also apparently a prison a couple blocks away, it is a very poor place to put a residential neighborhood, but the zoning regulators didn't notice.
Glad no one was hurt. I love MythBusters. Got a buddy who appears in an episode lol
MythBusters are morons! I recall an episode in which they attempted to debunk the Tesla earthquake machine... which they claimed they did. What kills me is that instead of actually rebuilding the mechanical oscillator which Tesla designed, they jerry rigged a power drill to attempt to duplicate the machine. Because their jerry rigged power drill couldn't produce a substantial amount of resonance, they claimed Teslas' machine was a myth. What fools!
Nah, a missile still means a projectile. My teachers used to give us detention for throwing missiles in class. CNN can call it a missile as much as Mrs. Alverez, and I dunno if they changed it but my headline was Mythbuster's Mishap 🙂
In that sense, "missile" is ambiguous, but we do tend to consider a "missile" as a shaped projectile with it's own rocket propulsion when we lack further info.
"All proper safety protocol was observed," the statement says.
Obviously not. Unless shooting a cannonball through a house and a car and thus potentially killing and maining the residents was in fact part of the safety protocol. Hope they get their pants sued off.
Oh how I've failed you.
Chaaaaaaaarge!!!!
This happened in my neighborhood. You can see photos of the incident on the Dublin Patch, http://dublin.patch.com/articles/mythbusters-tv-show-filming-may-be-source-of-explosion.
"When the cannonball was fired, it missed the water containers"
Well, there's your problem right there! 🙂
Very nice!
I hope Mythbusters gives this family a nice payment for their trouble and I hope the family doesn't get all sue happy on them and cause problems. It was a very tragic mistake/accident, but hopefully everyone is adult about it is settled to the agreement of all. I like the Mythbuster guys!
If there was a legitimate lawsuit among the thousands of frivolous one filed every day, this would be it. Imagine it were your house, and your kids. Would you say "oh well, that's life" and move on if your whole life was almost turned upside down because of the greed of some yahoos and TV execs?
not only that, it ended up crashing into their minivan while they were in it-it was probably only a matter of placement that saved their lives. I don't think they should sue, because the show should do the right thing and compensate them WELL. They could have killed them, and it was highly irresponsible.
andrew: "Actually, it's not really a misleading headline. It's your own fault you limit yourself to thinking of a rocket when you think of a missile, but missiles can be any thing that is shot or hurled from a gun or hand. Bone up on your Engrish bro,"
Yeah, if this were 300 years ago "missile" would mean any "projectile". In the 21st century, however, "missile" refers commonly and almost exclusively to rocket like weapons.
It was a cheap attempt by CNN to get more clicks on their link.
SHUT THEM DOWN! NOW!!!
Maybe a bomb disposal range is not necessarily suitable for testing missiles.
Many, many years ago at Fort Benning I heard of a reserve artillery unit on summer duty that set its guns 180 degrees off and fired off the reservation and took a direct hit on a farmhouse. I don't know if its true or not but it sure made us think twice about what we were doing.
Never happened in the past 75 years. Arti ranges are setup with the firing lines marked and range controllers that inspect before and after deployment. Before then who knows.
There's no such thing as accidents. "Accidents" are the result the violation of immutable physical laws. I take it back; accidents are what happens in peoples pants when immutable physical laws are violated. It's extremely fortunate that no one was hurt. I sincerely hope they show the footage of the incident, because I think that would be fascinating to watch.
Looking at the map they must have been aiming East. Why would you aim towards a populated area and not North where there are no houses?
They were not aimed east, the Cannonball bounced off a hill and changed directions, which is why it was going upwards through that house.
I wonder how they'll test the myth about the mythbusters who fired an incredible bank shot out of a firing range!
Gee...I guess you can call this one "busted"...or at least the house. LOL
Am I the only one, now that I know no one was hurt, that thinks this was Awesome?
Nooooooooooooooooooooo. I feel exactly the same as you do.
this is one episode of myth-busters i am not missing , lol
This will be the first episode of Mythbusters I watch.
"The show doesn't pay for use of the space, but does donate to the department" ~ Isn't that sort of the same thing. I guess it's like "I didn't BUY the politician. I just donated to his reelection campaign. Anyway, glad nobody was hurt. If I was that family I push them to be in the episode as part of the compensation.
Not the same thing at all. One is a compulsory payment. "In order to use this facility, you must pay us." The other is voluntary. They aren't charged to use it, but they make a donation anyway.
I would 'do' both of them. Super geek HOTT!
That reminds me of a woman that thought Bill Clinton was hot. Asked would she think he was hot if he was washing dishes at a local diner she said "point taken".
They are "hot" only because they're famous. If they were workers a your local radio-shack you probably wouldn't feel the same way.
But closetiguana, they DON'T work at the local Radio Shack... They are famed stunt engineers.
Actually, Closetiquana, as long as Adam had the same quirky personality I would do him in the back room of the Radio Shack. Jaime...he's too grumpy and straight-laced for me. Even with his celebrity he doesn't "do it" for me. Doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have a beer with him. I married a poor geek-and he's hot.
murray- I hear yah. I'm sure the reality star cake makers, pawn shop works, motorcycle builders, construction workers, home decorators, chefs etc etc have women throwing themselves at them just because they are on t.v.
"All proper safety protocol was observed," Clearly it wasn't.
Even with all proper protocol, accidents can and DO happen. Just one mistake is needed.
Though cannons were and are notoriously inaccurate. But yeah, I'm a fan of the show, they don't take chances, but you do these things often enough and sooner or later fate is going to burn you.
Seriously CNN? You changed the headline on the front page from cannonball to missile?!?!? Way to mislead people into clicking a link yet again!
Actually, it's not really a misleading headline. It's your own fault you limit yourself to thinking of a rocket when you think of a missile, but missiles can be any thing that is shot or hurled from a gun or hand. Bone up on your Engrish bro,
andrew: "Actually, it's not really a misleading headline. It's your own fault you limit yourself to thinking of a rocket when you think of a missile, but missiles can be any thing that is shot or hurled from a gun or hand. Bone up on your Engrish bro,"
Yeah, if this were 300 years ago "missile" would mean "any projectile". In the 21st century, however, "missile" refers commonly and almost exclusively to rocket like weapons.
It was a cheap attempt by CNN to get more clicks on their link.
Actually in legal terms it is a missile. Go throw a rock through a window and see what you get charged with. Bet you its projecting a missile into a dwelling. Look it up.
Good nobody got hurt or kill ...but don't worry they have insurance
Remember kids; don't try any of this at home, let the Mythbusters bring it to your home instead. They are what you would call "professionals".
wowwwww ill bett they were like uh oh hope no one got killed.
I guess the myth was CONFIRMED.
... but the house and van were BUSTED.
LOL...I think we got ourselves a winner!
Theyre sooo lucky no one was killed!
in legal terms its call 'gross negligence"
How is it gross negligence when they were on a bomb range, with a bomb range safety officer, with a ton of safety equipment? I think they could show due diligence. Sometimes it's just a freak accident that no reasonable degree of safety equipment could have avoided.
Live near a golf course expect a few golf balls to come through your windows.
Live near a bomb disposal range expect a few cannonballs to come through your walls.
.
+1
Touche!
Mind if I play through???.... 🙂
That's like living next to the airport, on the runway approach...don't be to surprised by the occasional falling jet motor, or airplane wheel...yeakies....
"FORE!"
+5
Whoa, don't live by the airport then...
Well, that was a close call! I'm glad no one was hurt. I hope the show can continue to film scenes at the bomb range and that this incident won't affect production in any way.
Did Jamie say "Whoops!"?
it is plausible lol
Im a bender robot. I bend things. I hope Fry will bring us some beer.
We went to BSU together. Oh the good old days at Bending State University. Getting bent, bending loose freshman and checking their status screens while interfacing with their exhaust ports.
"All proper safety protocol was observed," I don't think so. I guess they forgot, "Remember, don't try this at home!"
Even with safety protocols, accidents can happen. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
hahaha yeah dont try this at home we are trained home crashers
Shooting a canon ball at a target (in front of a population) where there is even the remotest of possibilities that someone might be injured is following some sort of safety protocol? Then they need to update and enhance those protocols because uninvolved people were nearly killed.
Well, they were in a bomb disposal range... so the Alameda County thinks 700 yards is far away enough from civilization.
Yeah 700 yards is a pretty good distance away you think it would be fine like how many things on mythbusters actually fly that far
The cannon was actually aimed in a completely different direction than it ended up going, no one expected it to take the path that it did, or even to bounce off of the hill it was aimed at (which is why it was traveling upward though that house, it was on a bounce).
Go up to my room you such a such a bad girl ooooouuuuuuuuuuuu
@tracie
You missed a perfect opportunity to talk about shooting something out of your butt like a cannon and slapping Jamie in the face at 700the yards.
"...before crash-landing into a minivan that occupied a father and his 13-year-old son." How on Earth did the minivan get into the father and son?
Actually, no one was in the vehicle when it was hit. This is poor reporting. Watch the youtube video – the owner of the minivan says he was in the vehicle 10 minutes before it was hit.
I don't know if they fixed it but it now says "crash-landing into a minivan occupied by a father and his 13-year-old son."
"... occupied BY..." you need to read a little better before you start bashing grammar.
u cant read... "occupied BY" ... idiot open your mouth and insert foot
Okay of you won't know how to do this but there is a record of when the page was last edited, that came 10 minutes after they posted the error. So try to get a clue.
You just put a gross picture in my head
I was asking the same thing...
Yes, thank you "ReadBeforeYouReply" and "hawaiinkine" for your polite, well-considered responses. The text I quoted was directly copied-and-pasted from the original article, which they hastily amended after my post. Welcome to the Internet, I hope you learn how it works some day.
Plus, as Jack says, there apparently was no one in the minivan anyway. But this is the quality of reporting we've come to expect from CNN, which long ago abdicated any semblance of journalistic integrity or responsibility when they decided to just let any moron with a camera phone do their "reporting" for them.
zrxgrim – good answer.
It sounds like they are making sure they right the wrong.... they were taking precautions and an accident still happened. No one was hurt, what is there to sue for if the situation is being righted? Damages? They said they are paying for it... Housing? They are paying for it.... Is someone going to have nightmares every night wondering if MythBusters is going to launch a cannonball in their house again... oh... i guess thats a reason to sue, huh?
The purpose of suing is to right a wrong, or be made whole. If Discovery is already doing that... there really is not much to sue for.
Melanie, some lawsuits are punitive in nature, not just compensatory.
The Sheriff's department and a stupid TV show shouldn't be shoting cannons near a residential area. What's that lawsuit worth? I have no idea. I'm not litigious, but I'd certainly vote on the side of reckless behaviour if I were judging this.
OCCUPY:MINIVAN!
“…before crash-landing into a minivan that occupied a father and his 13-year-old son.”
Good point, so did they occupy the van or did the van occupy them?? Semantics, right? LOL
Just think of all the good money these people are going to get. I wished they shot a cannonball thru my basement. Id be feasting on 99 cent cheeseburgers forever.
mcdonalds has mcDubbles for .99cents
No, mcdonalds doesn't have 99 cent mcdoubles. they are $1 !
$1.07 to be exact
U really r twisted n demented. lmfao
Thanks for sharing