Hey MythBusters community,
Ever since I was a kid watching Adam and Jamie, I dreamed of sending this myth to the show’s mailbag. Back then, my English wasn’t good enough to write them an email, but this Uruguayan urban legend / official explanation has stayed in my head for years. I'd love to hear how you think the team would have tested it.
The Legend
Back in the 2000s, a massive blackout hit Uruguay, leaving the capital (Montevideo) and several major surrounding regions (Canelones, San José, Maldonado) completely in the dark.
The official statement from the state power company (UTE) was that a hunter shot a high-voltage transmission line, causing a catastrophic grid failure. Naturally, local skepticism was sky-high: Was it actually physically possible for a hunting rifle to take down a high-voltage grid, or was it just a convenient cover-up for grid poor maintenance and human error?
How MythBusters Would Test It
To evaluate this, the team would need to break the myth down into two main physical tests, plus a "worst-case scenario" grid condition:
- Cable Ballistics (Can a hunting bullet sever a power line?)
High-voltage transmission cables are heavy-duty ACSR (Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced) lines under high mechanical tension.
The Test: Rig line cables under real-world tension on a firing range and test standard local hunting calibers: .22 LR, .223 Rem, .243 Win, .308 Win, and a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with heavy Brenneke slugs (to give the myth its absolute best shot).
The Question: Does a bullet actually sever the steel core and snap the line, or does the cable just deform and absorb the hit?
- Insulator Shattering & Flashover Arc
What if the hunter didn't hit the wire, but shot a ceramic/porcelain insulator stack instead?
The Physics: Shattering the ceramic destroys the dielectric insulation, potentially causing an immediate high-voltage electrical arc (flashover) from the live wire to the grounded steel tower.
The Test: Mount porcelain insulators under simulated high voltage (150kV+). Shoot them to see if the resulting short-circuit arc is powerful enough to instantly melt/sever the line or trip automatic breakers.
- The "Worst Case" Grid Cascade
For a single shot to drop four major regions, the myth requires a perfect storm: a failure in automatic reclosers/breakers or a system already running without redundancy (like secondary backup lines being down for maintenance).
Predicted Verdict:
Severing Cable with a Shot: BUSTED (Even a .308 or Brenneke slug would likely only fray strands, not snap a steel-reinforced cable).
Insulator Shattering & Cascade: PLAUSIBLE (A destroyed insulator + a short-circuit arc + a compromised redundant grid could theoretically trigger a chain-reaction blackout).
What do you think? Would a hunter's bullet actually be able to knock out power for millions, or was UTE just scapegoating a lucky shooter?
