Back in December of last year, MythBusters had an accident while running a calibration test on a cast iron cannonball. They were trying to find out whether cannonballs made of various materials would do the same damage to a castle that steel cannonballs could. While running speed calibration tests, they had a misfire, and the barrel of the cannon lifted. The cannonball ricocheted off the hillside behind the famous Alameda County Bomb Range and flew 700 yards into a nearby subdivision. The errant round penetrated one home and bounced off the roof of another before coming to land in a parked minivan. Luckily, no one was hurt.
While there is no official word from Discovery as to whether or not this is the episode in question, the video above appears to show stone cannonball tests run after the accident. Host Kari Byron goes through a long explanation of the safety procedures, and the test itself takes place in a rock quarry which host Byron describes as “out in the middle of nowhere.”
From the beginning, show hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman were apologetic, touring the neighborhood the next day. However, they have also insisted that they intend to air the episode including the mishap to demonstrate that even with their emphasis on safety, serious accidents are still possible. Almost a year later, it appears the episode is set to air tonight.
Below you can find a news report on the original accident from the local ABC news affiliate. MythBusters airs on Discovery Channel tonight at 9:00pm ET/PT.
