• 2 min read
NTSB says Tesla crash driver floored pedal to 100%
Federal investigators say the Tesla driver manually overrode FSD by pressing the accelerator to 100% before the fatal Katy, Texas crash.
Image: Gizmodo
Federal investigators say the Tesla involved in a fatal Katy, Texas crash was traveling at more than 70 mph after the driver manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%.
The crash killed a 76-year-old woman when the car slammed into her home late last month. The driver has been charged with manslaughter, and the victim’s family has sued both Tesla and the driver.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, data recovered from the vehicle showed that, before impact, the driver overrode Tesla’s driver-assistance system by flooring the accelerator. That largely matches an earlier account cited by Electrek, which said Tesla quickly reviewed crash data after the incident. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, said the driver had “manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.”
Recommended reading
Evolute i-Sky slips to fall 2026 launch
The case has drawn attention because the car was reportedly using Full Self-Driving around the time of the crash. As ABC News reported, court documents say the driver claimed he “passed out” while the car was in FSD on the highway and remembered nothing until after the crash. The same records, according to the source, show no seizures, cardiac episodes, drugs, or alcohol. A local Fox affiliate also reported that the car was making DoorDash deliveries in the hours and minutes leading up to the collision.
Another point of dispute is whether FSD’s involvement can be dismissed simply because the driver pressed the accelerator. As the source notes, accelerating does not necessarily disengage FSD, much like cruise control can remain active while accepting driver input. Court records cited by Electrek also show the driver had searched phrases including “Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026,” “FSD is not aggressive enough for city driving,” and “Tesla fsd too timid.” More details are likely to emerge as the lawsuit moves forward.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via Gizmodo
