The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into May’s fatal Tesla Model S crash confirming that the driver was doing 74 mph in a 65 mph zone at the moment of impact.
Following the crash, five investigators from the NTSB arrived on the scene and used advanced three-dimensional laser scanning technology to conduct an in-depth analysis into the crash location, the damaged Model S as well as the trailer it crash into.
It was also confirmed that the Autopilot was activated at the time of the crash, as claimed, and in theory, the car should have braked when the trailer pulled out in front of the electric sedan.
While the NTSB hasn’t provided information about why the car failed to stop or why the driver didn’t take control, Tesla claims that the semi-autonomous system was unable to differentiate the white trailer from the brightly-lit sky.
The NTSB is continuing to analysis the crash and will publish its completed report next year, probably 12 months after the release of this preliminary report. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also conducting an investigation into the crash.
Tesla, meanwhile, appears to have moved on and is now busy implementing its second master plan, which includes significant improvements to Autopilot.
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