Tesla's Autopilot system was engaged during fatal crash, NTSB says Tesla's Autopilot system was engaged during fatal crash, NTSB says May 16, 2019 dzadmin Comments 0 Comment The NTSB’s preliminary report said the Tesla driver engaged Autopilot about 10 seconds before crashing into a semitrailer and the system did not detect the driver’s hands on the wheel for fewer than eight seconds before the crash.