Tesla Autopilot Engaged In 2018 California Crash; Driver’s Hands Off Wheel: NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Tuesday that a Tesla Model S was in Autopilot mode and the driver’s hands were off the wheel when it struck a fire truck in Culver City, California, one of a series of crashes the board is investigating involving Tesla’s driver assistance system.

The 2014 Model S Autopilot system was engaged continuously for the final 13 minutes 48 seconds of the trip before the vehicle struck a fire truck parked on Interstate-405 in January 2018, the NTSB safety board said in documents posted on Tuesday.

The board plans to issue a report detailing the crash’s probable cause on Wednesday.

The driver kept his hands off the wheel for all but 51 seconds of the final drive segment and received numerous alerts to place his hands back on the wheel, the documents showed. Tesla Inc did not immediately comment.