INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Walter Huang, 38, was killed in the crash
Tesla has been removed
from the investigation into the fatal crash of one of its semi-autonomous vehicles
In March, a Tesla vehicle operating in Autopilot mode crashed in California, killing the driver
Tesla has suggested the driver was at fault
On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tesla had "violated the party agreement by releasing investigative
information".Tesla says it decided to remove itself from the investigation.AutopilotTesla's Autopilot is a semi-autonomous mode in which
the car controls its own steering and speed.The company has always stressed that drivers must pay attention to the road and keep their hands
on the steering wheel.On 23 March, a Tesla vehicle crashed into a roadside barrier in California, killing 38-year-old Walter Huang.Tesla
said the vehicle was in Autopilot mode at the time of the crash."The driver had received several visual and one audible hands-on warning
earlier in the drive," it said in a statement."The crash happened on a clear day with several hundred feet of visibility ahead, which means
that the only way for this accident to have occurred is if Mr Huang was not paying attention to the road, despite the car providing multiple
warnings to do so."DisserviceThe NTSB has accused Tesla of releasing "incomplete information".It said such statements "often lead to
speculation and incorrect assumptions about the probable cause of a crash, which does a disservice to the investigative process".Robert
Sumwalt, NTSB chairman, said: "We decided to revoke Tesla's party status and informed Mr [Elon] Musk in a phone call and via letter.Image
copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Tesla denies it was kicked out of the investigation
"While we
understand the demand for information that parties face during an NTSB investigation, uncoordinated releases of incomplete information do
not further transportation safety or serve the public interest."Tesla said it had decided to remove itself from the investigation
The company has accused the NTSB of breaching its own rules by releasing statements about the crash, despite telling Tesla not to do so
"We don't believe this is right and we will be making an official complaint to Congress," a spokesperson told the BBC
Tesla added: "Last week, in a conversation with the NTSB, we were told that if we made additional statements before their 12-24 month
investigative process is complete, we would no longer be a party to the investigation agreement
"On Tuesday, we chose to withdraw from the agreement and issued a statement to correct misleading claims that had been made about
