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Tesla driver overrode FSD before fatal Texas crash
Federal investigators say a Tesla driver disabled Full Self-Driving by flooring the accelerator before a fatal June crash in Texas.
Image: Engadget
Federal investigators say the driver in a fatal Tesla crash in Texas manually disabled the car’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system just before impact.
According to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, Michael Butler, who was driving a Tesla Model 3, overrode the system in June “by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100 percent.” The agency said that input disabled FSD, and the vehicle was traveling at more than 70 mph when it crashed into Martha Avila’s home, killing her.
That finding differs from early statements by local authorities, which said the Tesla’s “automated driving assistance system” was engaged at the time of the crash. The NTSB’s account aligns with what Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy posted on X in June, when he said the driver had manually overridden self-driving in a residential area and reached 73 mph.
The biggest unanswered question is why Butler accelerated. According to The Wall Street Journal, Butler said he was making a DoorDash delivery and had enabled FSD while changing music on the Tesla’s center touchscreen before he “passed out.” Investigators 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.
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Avila’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on June 24, accusing both Butler and Tesla of negligence and seeking damages. In July, Butler was charged with manslaughter.
The crash is also part of broader federal scrutiny. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting its own investigation into the Texas incident, and in October 2025 it opened a wider probe into Tesla’s self-driving technology.
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
