NTSB investigators confirm Tesla driver overrode Full Self-Driving system in fatal crash
A preliminary NTSB investigation reveals that the driver of a Tesla Model 3 that killed a woman in Texas last June manually overrode the vehicle's Full Self-Driving system by pressing the accelerator pedal fully, disabling the automated feature.
According to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Michael Butler, the driver of a Tesla Model 3 that fatally struck a woman inside her Texas home in June, manually overrode the car's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100 percent. While local authorities initially reported that the Tesla's automated driving assistance system was engaged when Butler crashed into Martha Avila's home, the investigation indicates otherwise. The acceleration disabled the FSD system, and the vehicle's speed at the time of the crash exceeded 70 mph (about 113 km/h).
The preliminary findings align with what Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy shared on X in June: "In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100 percent of the accel pedal in this residential area." He added that the car reached 73 mph during the crash and that the accelerator remained pressed even after impact.
The larger unknown is what caused Butler to accelerate. The driver stated he was completing a DoorDash delivery when the crash occurred and enabled FSD while changing music on the Tesla's center touchscreen before he "passed out." Authorities found no alcohol or drugs in his system but also determined that the brake pedal was never applied in the final minutes before the crash.
Avila's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on June 24, accusing Butler and Tesla of negligence and seeking damages. Shortly after, in July, Butler was charged with manslaughter. FSD (Supervised) is designed to require active driver supervision for turns, lane changes, and navigation. Despite that, multiple crashes involving FSD have drawn scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA is conducting its own investigation into this Texas crash and, in October 2025, opened a broader investigation into Tesla's self-driving technology.
