NTSB Blames Driver, Tesla Autopilot For Fatal Mtn. View Crash

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — A combination of distracted driving and Tesla's faulty Autopilot system caused the 2018 Mountain View crash that killed a Peninsula man, the National Transportation Safety Board said at a hearing Tuesday.

Investigators said the driver, Walter Huang, 38, of Foster City, was apparently playing a game on his iPhone at the time of the crash, likely distracting him and preventing him from steering away from the concrete barrier that his Model X SUV struck at a high speed, killing him.

But investigators also blamed Tesla and its Autopilot system, which Huang was using for much of his drive that day from his Foster City home to Sunnyvale, where he worked for Apple.

According to the NTSB, Tesla should have built safeguards into the Autopilot system to prevent drivers from using it while distracted, as Huang was, NPR reported.

Before the fatal crash, Huang had reported problems with the Autopilot system which caused the car to steer toward the same spot where it later crashed, the NTSB revealed last month. That information, and Tuesday's hearing, stemmed from a nearly two-year investigation that the NTSB began days after the March 23, 2018 crash.

Huang, a software engineer at Apple, was using Autopilot while driving his Model X south on U.S. Highway 101 and approaching the interchange with state Highway 85 when the car struck a highway barrier. It was then hit by two more vehicles, causing the Tesla's lithium battery to catch fire.

Huang, who was rescued by bystanders before the car was consumed by flames, died at a hospital later that day.

According to the NTSB, Huang had told his wife about problems with the car, including that "the Autopilot would cause his Tesla to veer toward the barrier involved in his crash, prior to the crash," a lawyer for Huang's wife told investigators.

But the investigation also showed that Huang had been using an iPhone and playing "Three Kingdoms," a word-building game, during the fatal drive. It wasn't clear how actively he was playing at the time of the crash.

Tesla, which is based in Palo Alto, has not commented on the NTSB's findings. Huang's family filed a lawsuit against Tesla in May, alleging that the Autopilot technology malfunctioned and caused Huang's death.

Huang's family filed a lawsuit against Tesla in May, alleging that the Autopilot technology malfunctioned and caused Huang's death.

See also:

• Tesla Driver In Fatal Peninsula Crash Had Reported Problems
  
• Foster City Family Sues Tesla After Deadly, Fiery Crash
• Tesla Comments On Fatal Model X Crash
• Feds 'Unhappy' With Tesla Actions In Model X Crash Investigation
• Tesla Driver Dies After Fiery Crash On Hwy 101 In Mountain View