To test the "Car Cap" theory—the idea that a car hitting water could create a vacuum or a physical 'cap' that traps a diver—they built a rig. They submerged a crash test dummy, "Buster," in full scuba gear ten feet below the surface. "Dropping the car!" Adam shouted into his radio.
Next, they moved to the big guns: the aerial scoop. They needed to see if a firefighting "Super Scooper" plane could actually inhale a human being through its intake valves. Watch Mythbusters S03e02 Scuba Diver And Car Ca...
"To be scooped up, you'd have to be a diver the size of a shrimp," Jamie concluded. "And even if you survived the trip up, the fall from a thousand feet into a flaming forest would definitely finish the job." To test the "Car Cap" theory—the idea that
"Result?" Jamie noted. "If the car hits you, the 'vacuum' is the least of your problems. You're a pancake." Phase 2: The Forest Fire Drop Next, they moved to the big guns: the aerial scoop
The crane released. Two tons of steel plummeted, hitting the water with a thunderous crack . The car didn't just sink; it pancaked, sending a geyser of white foam fifty feet into the air. When the silt cleared, they dove down to find Buster. He wasn't trapped under a "cap"; he was flattened against the lake bed.
"Well," Adam said, peering into the grate. "He made it into the tank. But he’s currently in about fourteen different pieces. The intake grates on those planes are only a few inches wide." The Verdict