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Tesla driver overrode FSD before fatal Texas crash
NTSB says a Tesla Model 3 driver disabled Full Self-Driving by flooring the accelerator before a fatal crash in Texas.
Image: Engadget
A Tesla Model 3 driver manually overrode the car’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system before a fatal crash into a Texas home, according to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB said Michael Butler disabled FSD “by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100 percent.” That input turned off the system, and investigators found the vehicle was traveling at more than 70 mph when it crashed into Martha Avila’s home in June. Local authorities had initially said the Tesla’s “automated driving assistance system” was engaged at the time of the crash, but the federal investigation found the opposite.
The preliminary findings line up with comments Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy posted 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. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.”
What remains unclear is why Butler accelerated. According to The Wall Street Journal, Butler told investigators he was making a DoorDash delivery, had enabled FSD while changing music on the Tesla’s center touchscreen, and then “passed out.” Authorities found no blood or alcohol in his system, and also found that the brake pedal was never applied in the final minutes before the crash.
The crash has triggered both civil and criminal action. Avila’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on June 24, accusing Butler and Tesla of negligence and seeking damages. In July, Butler was charged with manslaughter.
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Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) is designed to require active driver attention while handling turns, lane changes, and navigation. But repeated crashes involving the system have drawn scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is also investigating the Texas crash. Separately, the agency opened a broader probe into Tesla’s self-driving technology in October 2025.
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 Engadget
