The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday that data recovered from a Tesla involved in a June crash in Katy, Texas, show the vehicle’s accelerator pedal was pressed to 100%, overriding Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system.
According to the NTSB, the recorded data indicate the Tesla was traveling at more than 70 miles per hour (mph) when it struck a house. The collision killed the home’s 76-year-old resident, Martha Avila. The victim’s family has since filed a civil lawsuit against the alleged driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, and Tesla, alleging negligence. Butler has also been charged with manslaughter.
The safety board reported that Butler was using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) on Rose Hollow Lane, a residential two-lane road with a posted speed limit of 30 mph, immediately before the crash. Security camera footage obtained by the NTSB shows the car accelerating through an intersection, leaving the roadway, and striking the house. The NTSB noted that weather was clear, the roadway was dry, and daylight conditions were present at the time of the collision.
Tesla’s guidance requires drivers using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to pay attention to the road and be prepared to take control at any moment. The NTSB said Butler allegedly told authorities he had “passed out” and that he was using Tesla’s driver assistance system at the time. Local ABC affiliate KTRK TV reported that police discovered Butler’s Google searches included phrases such as “Tesla FSD not aggressive enough 2026,” “Tesla not aggressive enough,” and “Tesla FSD too timid.”
The NTSB’s preliminary findings align with Tesla’s earlier public statements that its advanced driver assistance system was not to blame for the high-speed crash. Tesla had posted in the days after the incident that Full Self-Driving operates slowly in neighborhood streets and therefore could not explain a high-speed impact; Tesla CEO Elon Musk echoed that view on X shortly after the collision.
The investigation by the NTSB is ongoing, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a separate probe. Determinations about legal and regulatory responsibility will depend on further analysis of the vehicle data, camera footage, and the outcomes of the civil and criminal proceedings.
