First US Autopilot fatality: Joshua Brown, Williston, Florida
S5 · 07 May 2016 · Tesla · Williston, FL, USA
Record
| Company | Tesla |
| Industry | AV trucking |
| 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: 2026-09-16
Supporting source rows (1)
| Date | Supporting source row | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 May 2016 | First US Autopilot fatality: Joshua Brown, Williston, Florida | NTSB | NTSB |
Tesla other incidents timeline
AV trucking context
fatality context
Tesla industry position
Related incidents
Other Tesla entries
- 03 Sep 2026 - NHTSA opens Audit Query AQ26002 into Tesla Cybercab certification
- ~Aug 2026 - Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y) crashes through bollards in Austin, no driver present
- ~Jul 2026 - Tesla robotaxi drives wrong-way in Tampa
- 20 Jun 2026 - Tesla crashes into Texas home, killing woman inside; Autopilot engagement disputed
- ~May 2026 - Tesla remote-operator-controlled Robotaxi crashes in Houston
- 16 Mar 2026 - Tesla discloses another unsupervised Robotaxi crash in Austin
- 16 Dec 2025 - Report: Tesla robotaxis crashing over 12x more frequently than human drivers
- ~Dec 2025 - Optimus falls backward and collapses during Miami 'Autonomy Visualized' demo
- 24 Oct 2025 - NHTSA probes Tesla 'Mad Max' FSD mode over reckless driving behavior
- 06 Oct 2025 - Tesla driver killed after Autopilot/FSD stopped car in live highway lane, rear-ended by semi
- 22 Sep 2025 - Tesla robotaxi involved in multiple crashes on first day of Austin test expansion
- 18 Aug 2025 - Tesla Cybertruck on Full Self-Driving attempts to drive off Houston overpass
- 01 Aug 2025 - Federal jury finds Tesla 33% liable in fatal 2019 Key Largo Autopilot crash
- 24 Jun 2025 - Tesla robotaxi involved in first collision during Austin testing
- ~Feb 2025 - Tesla Cybertruck in self-driving mode crashes into pole near Reno school
- 07 Jan 2025 - Tesla 'Actually Smart Summon' Linked to ~16 Parking Lot Collisions
- 07 Jan 2025 - Tesla's 'Actually Smart Summon' Feature Reportedly Linked to Multiple Parking Lot Collisions
- 18 Oct 2024 - US probes Tesla Full Self-Driving system after pedestrian killed
- 18 Oct 2024 - NHTSA investigates Tesla Full Self-Driving after crashes including a fatality
- ~Aug 2024 - Tesla Semi truck catches fire in US ahead of European showcase
- ~Aug 2024 - Tesla Semi crash in Northern California investigated by NTSB
- ~Jun 2024 - Tesla in Autopilot Mode Hits Parked Police Vehicle in Fullerton, CA
- 08 May 2024 - Tesla on Full Self-Driving nearly drives into passing train
- 26 Apr 2024 - NHTSA investigation finds Autopilot contributed to 467 crashes including 13 fatal
- 19 Apr 2024 - Tesla in Full Self-Driving mode killed Seattle-area motorcyclist
- 19 Apr 2024 - Fatal FSD crash kills motorcyclist, Snohomish County WA
- 13 Dec 2023 - NHTSA recall of over 2 million Tesla vehicles for inadequate Autopilot driver monitoring
- ~Nov 2023 - Tesla on Full Self-Driving kills pedestrian on Arizona interstate
- 22 Jul 2023 - Former factory worker sues Tesla after robotic arm knocks him unconscious
- 18 Feb 2023 - California family blames Musk for son's death in Tesla Autopilot crash
- ~Aug 2022 - NHTSA finds 60 FSD Beta crashes and one fatality over 12-month period
- 16 May 2022 - Tesla Autopilot drove car into tree, killing Colorado man
- 25 Apr 2019 - Fatal Autopilot crash (2019 Key Largo crash) - Tesla later hit with $243M jury verdict
- 23 Mar 2018 - Autopilot fatality of Apple engineer Walter Huang, Mountain View, California
- not documented - Tesla accused of redacting details of three robotaxi accidents in crash reports
- not documented - Tesla Robotaxis Involved in Four Crashes Despite Safety Monitors Onboard
- not documented - Driverless Tesla using Smart Summon crashes into parked car in Maryland
- not documented - Tesla Cybertruck on FSD nearly turns into oncoming SUV
- not documented - NHTSA forces recall of 362,758 Full Self-Driving Beta vehicles
- not documented - Optimus robot allegedly pins and injures Fremont plant worker
Report a correction
Also from Critical Systems Analysis: CSA - functional safety engineering · Company directory · FSTalent - functional safety jobs