What we know about what happened in the Tesla Autopilot crash

Here’s what we know about what happened in the Tesla Autopilot crash:

An example of how Tesla's Autopilot system sees the world. YouTube/Tesla

On June 30, regulators revealed they are looking into a tie between a fatal accident and Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot function. 

Few details about the incident have been released, but Tesla has confirmed that the 2015 Model S involved in the accident was in Autopilot mode when the crash occurred. The company also said in a blog post published on June 30 that the vehicle was driving down a divided highway when a white semi-truck cut across the highway perpendicular to the Model S.

"Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against the brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied," Tesla said in its blog post. 

According to the Florida Highway Patrol accident report obtained by Tech Insider, the semi-truck was making a left turn at an intersection on the divided highway when it drove directly in front of the Model S as it was driving down the highway in the opposite direction. The Model S passed underneath the truck.

The diagram below from the police report shows how the accident occurred. 

Highway Safety & Motors Vehicles

The roof of the Model S hit the trailer, but the car kept going and then veered off-road passing through two wired fences and then striking a power pole. 

According to the accident report both drivers were wearing their seat belts and neither vehicle deployed airbags. 

The incident was reported at 4:41 PM on May 7th and the driver of the Model S, Joshua David Brown, was pronounced deceased at 4:51 PM. The driver of the truck was not injured.