First US Autopilot fatality: Joshua Brown, Williston, Florida
S5 · 07 May 2016 · Tesla · Williston, FL, USA
Record
| Company | Tesla |
| Industry | Autonomous vehicles and trucking |
| Product | Autopilot |
| Robot type | ADAS |
| Type(s) | fatality |
| Date | 07 May 2016 (day precision) |
| Time of day | not documented |
| Location | Williston, FL, USA |
| Severity | (fatality or catastrophic loss) |
| Scale | 1 fatality |
| Confidence | high |
| Verified flag | Yes - independently re-checked against the cited source |
Summary
A Tesla Model S operating with Autopilot engaged failed to recognize a white tractor-trailer crossing the highway against a bright sky and underrode the trailer at highway speed, killing the driver. NTSB investigated and issued a formal report (HAR-17/02).
Primary source
Publisher: NTSB · Retrieved: 2026-10-30
Supporting source rows (1)
| Date | Supporting source row | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 May 2016 | First US Autopilot fatality: Joshua Brown, Williston, Florida | NTSB | NTSB |
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