NTSB confirms Tesla driver manually overrode Full Self-Driving system in fatal Texas crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released preliminary findings confirming that Michael Butler, the driver of a Tesla Model 3 involved in a fatal collision in Texas, manually overrode the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system. Investigators determined that Butler pressed the accelerator pedal to 100 percent, a action that disabled the autonomous driving features and caused the vehicle to accelerate to speeds exceeding 70 mph before striking a residence.

The crash resulted in the death of Martha Avila. While local authorities initially reported that the Tesla’s automated driving assistance system was engaged at the time of the incident, the NTSB’s preliminary investigation indicates the opposite. The data shows the acceleration disabled the Full Self-Driving system, with the vehicle reaching a speed of 73 mph at the moment of impact.

Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy corroborated the NTSB’s conclusions on social media, stating that the driver manually overrode the self-driving function by pressing the accelerator fully in a residential area. Elluswamy noted that the accelerator remained pressed even after the crash occurred, aligning with the federal investigators' assessment of the vehicle's behaviour in the moments leading up to the collision.

Butler, who was completing a DoorDash delivery at the time, claimed he enabled Full Self-Driving while changing music on the touchscreen before he "passed out." Authorities found no alcohol or blood in his system but noted that the brake pedal was never applied in the final minutes before the crash. The underlying cause of the acceleration and whether a medical episode caused the loss of control remains under investigation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a separate investigation into the crash. This follows a broader inquiry opened by the NHTSA in October 2025 into Tesla’s self-driving technology after multiple crashes involving the system drew scrutiny. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is designed to require active driver supervision for navigation tasks such as turning and lane changes.

Legal proceedings have already commenced following the incident. Butler has been charged with manslaughter, and Avila’s family filed a wrongful death suit on June 24, accusing both Butler and Tesla of negligence and seeking damages for Avila’s death. The case highlights ongoing regulatory and legal challenges surrounding the deployment and supervision of autonomous driving technologies.