Well, that’s going to be a strange insurance call.
A shocking video shows a Tesla using self-driving technology to around parked aircraft near a series of hangars. Unfortunately for the vehicle and the aircraft, the Tesla couldn’t identify the Cirrus Vision Jet as an obstacle and ran right into it. While you might expect viewers to joke at Tesla’s expense, they also gave the stationary jet a pretty hard time.
An Instagram video shows a Tesla EV using its self-driving functions to nonchalantly cruise onto a slick flight line. The camera, which seems to be attached to a nearby structure, captures the autonomous vehicle as it drives into the tail-end landing gear of a Cirrus Vision Jet.
Surprisingly, the video doesn’t show the Tesla doing much to slow or stop before striking the stationary airplane. Moreover, after the self-driving EV strikes the Cirrus, the vehicle attempts to keep moving.
Now, of the many regulars you’d expect at a smaller airfield, the Tesla chose a pretty pricey target. A new Cirrus Vision Jet starts at above $3 million. Even used models are firmly in the seven-figure range.
Consequently, one viewer joked that the insurance situation was likely a waking nightmare. “Insurance company: ‘You hit what’?” Another commenter skewered the Tesla self-driving suite by saying, “Tesla Autopilot is about as good as drunk driving.” Ouch. “I guess the Teslas Autopilot doesn’t have ‘airplane mode,’” joked another viewer.
Other social media-going aviators and aviation industry types weren’t as jovial in their responses. One viewer wrote, “Who the hell thought it was needed to run auto drive inside an airfield? Trying to prove a point? [A] quite expensive one.”
On top of the monetary point, some self-proclaimed aviation professionals judged the Cirrus. “Thank goodness nothing of value was damaged,” a critic said, referencing the Vision Jet in addition to the self-driving Tesla. A commenter whose profile suggests they are a pilot echoed the ground support worker’s opinion, calling the Cirrus and the Tesla “trash.”
