The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will publish its report on the deadly accident involving a Tesla Model S in Texas within a month.
Earlier this month, a Model S crashed into a tree in Texas, erupting into flames and killing both occupants. Authorities discovered that one of the occupants was in the front passenger seat while the owner was in the back seat, prompting speculation that the vehicle’s Autopilot system may have been enabled.
“A preliminary report typically comes out in a month, but we are working hard to get it out as soon as possible because we recognize there is this confusion out there,” deputy director of the NTSB Kristin Poland said in a statement issued to Reuters.
Read Also: No One Was Driving The Tesla Model S In Fiery Crash Where Two People Were Killed
A Harris County fire marshal’s report says that 69-year-old Everette Talbot was seated in the right front passenger seat with his upper torso “in a forward-leaning position, with both arms rolled forward”. Meanwhile, 59-year-old Williams Varner was found in the left rear passenger seat with his upper torso “in a rear-leaning position, with both arms rolled back and in a pugilistic pose.”
Taking to Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the crash, Elon Musk claimed that an early analysis had determined that Autopilot was not activated. Speaking during the company’s Q1 earnings call, vice-president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, Lars Moravy, claimed that the steering wheel of the Model S was deformed, leading him to suggest there was someone in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash.
“We recognize that that’s not an ideal circumstance,” Poland said of the continued confusion about the accident. “The sooner we can get the preliminary report out the better it will be for everybody to provide as much clarity as possible,” she added, stating that the report will be based on solid facts.
Two men dead after fiery crash in Tesla Model S.
“[Investigators] are 100-percent certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact,” Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said. “They are positive.” #KHOU11 https://t.co/q57qfIXT4f pic.twitter.com/eQMwpSMLt2
— Matt Dougherty (@MattKHOU) April 18, 2021