Tesla fans celebrated what they claim was a Tesla vehicle on Full Self-Driving (FSD) that avoided a literal plane crashing into the road.
However, the driver confirmed that the Tesla vehicle was not in Full Self-Driving mode.
Tesla fans often complain that some drivers using Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), have blamed the systems for crashes that they were responsible for.
The automaker always claims that drivers are responsible at all times because, despite the names of the systems, they are only considered level 2 driver assistance systems.
However, Tesla recently lost a lawsuit that partly blamed the automaker for a driver who misused Autopilot, leading to a tragic fatal crash.
Since losing the trial, Tesla has settled several similar lawsuits.
There appears to be a shift in how people see Tesla’s role in crashes involving Autopilot and FSD.
Tesla fans have been pushing back, claiming that Autopilot and FSD also prevent crashes and save lives. Unfortunately for Tesla, this is harder to prove.
Furthermore, Tesla shareholders and fans have been known to falsely credit Tesla’s ADAS with preventing crashes.
There has been a particularly spectacular case of it this week.
On Thursday afternoon, an Air Force Special Operations Command OA-1K Skyraider II plane crashed in Oklahoma City shortly after takeoff.
The crash is currently under investigation.
Before coming down in a field, the plane flew extremely close to a highway, narrowly avoiding several cars. The moment was caught by a Tesla’s internal dashcam:
Tesla fans quickly took the footage originally posted to TikTok and resposted it on social media while claiming that the Tesla vehicle was on “Full Self-Driving”, which avoided the crash.
The video with the tagline went viral. Even Elon Musk’s own mother reposted it:
The problem is that the Tesla vehicle was not in Full Self-Driving mode. The original poster on TikTok was asked about it and responded:
[I was driving] manually, the FSD is really good, but it would have absolutely macked that plane.
Despite no evidence that FSD was involved, several well-known Tesla propagandists also shared the misinformation, including Nic Cruz Patane and Mario Nawfal, both accounts Elon Musk often promotes on X.
Even Russian propagandist outlet RT shared the news:
They have not issued corrections for the misinformation despite their posts reaching millions of people.
Electrek’s Take
The Tesla cult sees miracles where none exist now.
This is dangerous propaganda. People are becoming overconfident in those systems, and this misinformation is not helping.
It is reasonable to imagine some Tesla drivers seeing this, believing that they don’t have to pay much attention when driving – something that has already led to several crashes.
Tesla is not helping its own claims of being safer than humans, based on flawed “safety reports” that misrepresent data.
FSD is impressive as a level 2 driver assistance system, but that’s all it is. The driver is always responsible and must be ready to take control. It can do the dumbest things at the most dangerous moments. Be safe out there.
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