Technology and Science15 July, 20262 min read
NTSB Says Michael Butler Pressed Tesla Accelerator to 100% in Katy Crash
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Butler pressed the accelerator to 100%, overriding Tesla's Full Self-Driving. Tesla traveled over 70 mph at impact in Katy, Texas.
NTSB: FSD Overridden
The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary findings on a fatal June 2026 Tesla Model 3 crash in Katy, Texas, saying driver Michael Butler pressed the accelerator pedal to 100% while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged. The NTSB said electronic data recovered from the vehicle indicated that before the crash the driver manually overrode Full Self-Driving (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%, and that the vehicle's speed was greater than 70 mph when the crash occurred.
Houston Public Media reported that the NTSB is investigating the June 19 fatal crash in which a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a Houston-area home, killing Martha Avila. The NTSB also wrote that at the time of the crash, the driver had engaged Tesla's Advanced Driver Assistance System, Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
Musk and Elluswamy Respond
After the crash gained nationwide attention, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media platform that authorities’ initial account “made no sense,” writing, "FSD [full self-driving] drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high-speed crash!" Ashok Elluswamy, the vice president of AI software at Tesla, responded to Musk and claimed the driver manually overrode the self-driving functionality, writing, "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,".
Houston Public Media said Butler was later arrested and charged with manslaughter after an investigation by Harris County law enforcement found he allegedly overrode Tesla’s self-driving mode, and that his manslaughter case is pending. The NTSB preliminary report also said it plans to issue "safety recommendations to prevent similar crashes," while ABC13 Houston reported the NTSB said the driver manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100% and that the vehicle's speed was greater than 70 mph when the crash occurred.
Lawsuit, Charges, and Probes
Houston Public Media reported that Avila's daughter and son-in-law filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla and Butler, and that the lawsuit is pending, court records show. ABC13 Houston said Butler is charged with manslaughter after he allegedly crashed into a home on Rose Hollow Lane, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila, and that Avila suffered catastrophic injuries and later died.
TechCrunch reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also probing the incident, and that the NTSB shared the information as part of a preliminary report on the progress of its investigation into the crash. In the preliminary findings, the NTSB wrote that the driver manually overrode Full Self-Driving (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%, and that the vehicle's speed was greater than 70 mph when the crash occurred, while the NTSB noted the report released Wednesday is preliminary and subject to change.