Tesla
- The NTSB, a federal agency, is sending investigators to look into a fatal Tesla crash in Florida.
- Two people died when a Tesla Model 3 hit a tree, per multiple reports.
- Local police said it was unclear whether the vehicle was using Autopilot driver assist, per Reuters.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending three investigators to look into a fatal Tesla crash in Coral Gables, southern Florida.
A Tesla Model 3 left the road and hit a tree on September 13, the NTSB said in a tweet Friday, adding that the accident was "fatal."
Two people were killed and the vehicle caught fire, the Associated Press, Reuters, and others reported.
Coral Gables police said it was unclear whether the vehicle was using Autopilot, Tesla's driver assist feature, Reuters reported. On Autopilot, Tesla cars can brake, accelerate, and steer automatically – but they're not fully autonomous.
NTSB, the government agency tasked with investigating civil transportation accidents, said it would conduct a "safety investigation" of the Coral Gables crash focusing on "the operation of the vehicle and the post-crash fire that consumed the vehicle."
"We always look especially closely at newer technology," NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said, per AP.
The NTSB said its team would document the accident site and the vehicle, get witness accounts and any video footage, and determine what data they can get from both the vehicle and Tesla.
Investigators are set to arrive on Monday and are expected to complete their on-scene work within a week, the NTSB said. It added that it expected a preliminary report in about 30 days.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a different federal agency, said it was gathering information about the crash but hadn't decided whether to send a crash investigation team to Coral Gables, Reuters reported.
News of the Coral Gables crash came less than two weeks after an airborne Tesla hit a house in Palm Harbor, Florida, on September 3, killing two people and injuring three others.
Officials said that the vehicle didn't have Autopilot engaged, per the Tampa Bay Times. Insider's Grace Kay reported that the software includes access to add-on features that could help prevent these kinds of accidents.