US agencies open investigation into fatal tesla crash in Florida

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said they are conducting a safety investigation of a fatal crash involving a Tesla vehicle in Delray Beach, Florida on Friday involving a Tesla car and a tractor-trailer.

The two agencies are investigating several crashes involving the use of Tesla’s driver assistance system Autopilot including a fatal crash in California in March 2018. NHTSA, the auto safety regulator, can demand a recall if it believes a defect poses an unreasonable risk, while the NTSB makes safety recommendations.

A spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Department that oversees NHTSA said late on Friday that “NHTSA’s Crash Investigation Division assigned a Special Crash Investigation team to investigate the crash”.

The NTSB, in cooperation with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, is also sending three officials to help with the probe, it said on its official Twitter page March 1.

A report on Friday’s crash released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department did not indicate if Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash that killed the 50-year-old Tesla Model 3 owner.

The report said the Tesla struck a tractor-trailer and the roof was sheared off as it passed underneath the trailer and came to a rest three-tenths of a mile south of the collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Some Tesla drivers say they are able to avoid putting their hands on the wheel for extended periods when using Autopilot, while Tesla advises drivers that they must keep their hands on the steering wheel and pay attention at all times while using Autopilot.

A man was killed on Friday after he drove his 2018 Tesla 3 under a tractor-trailer, the Palm Beach Post reported, citing the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t immediately clear if Tesla’s driver assistance feature known as "Autopilot" was enabled. Tesla declined to comment late Friday.