NTSB finds Tesla driver overrode Full Self-Driving before fatal Texas crash
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the driver of a Tesla Model 3 manually overrode the Full Self-Driving system and accelerated to over 70 mph, causing the vehicle to strike a Texas home and kill a 76-year-old resident.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the driver of a Tesla Model 3 manually overrode the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and pressed the accelerator to full before the car crashed into a residence in Texas, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The crash occurred on June 19 on Rose Hollow Lane, a residential street with a 30 mph speed limit, while the vehicle was traveling at more than 70 mph.
According to the NTSB report, the driver, Michael Butler, had initially engaged Tesla’s Advanced Driver Assistance System but then “manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%,” leading to the high-speed impact.
"In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area," Tesla AI software vice president Ashok Elluswamy wrote on X.
Butler has been charged with manslaughter and sustained minor injuries in the crash. He told police he felt fine at the time, denied drug or alcohol use, and said he “passed out” after changing the music on the touchscreen while making a DoorDash delivery.
Experts noted that the investigation must also consider possible mechanical or software failures. Professor emeritus Philip Koopman of Carnegie Mellon University said the NTSB should examine whether “computer or electronics malfunction caused a false accelerator pedal reading” and suggested that “a thorough investigation must consider the potential for human driver error, but also mechanical failure, electronics failure, and software failure.”
Attorney Brett Schreiber, who has represented families in other Tesla crashes, said the driver’s behavior “is not ordinary… on a low-speed residential street,” adding that “electronic data recorders only log the values the vehicle’s own computer generated.”
MIT researcher Bryan Reimer warned that the naming of Tesla’s system could mislead drivers, stating that “names such as Full Self-Driving can communicate a level of capability that the system does not actually provide,” and emphasized the need for clearer naming to help drivers understand their ongoing responsibility.
The NTSB’s investigation remains open as it works to determine probable cause, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a separate special crash investigation.