A preliminary federal report confirmed that Michael Butler floored the accelerator, disabling Full Self-Driving, before his Model 3 struck a home at more than 70 mph
Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Wednesday confirming that the driver of a 2025 Tesla $TSLA Model 3 manually overrode the vehicle's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100% before crashing into a home in Katy, Texas, killing a resident inside.
Electronic data recovered from the vehicle showed the car was traveling faster than 70 mph at the time of impact, the NTSB said. The road where the crash occurred, Rose Hollow Lane, is a residential two-lane street with a 30 mph speed limit. Surveillance video obtained by the NTSB captured the Tesla passing through a dead-end intersection without turning, departing the road, and colliding with the home. The weather was clear, the road was dry, and daylight conditions were present, according to the agency.
The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, sustained minor injuries. One occupant of the home was fatally injured as a result of the crash, the NTSB said. The victim was 76-year-old Martha Avila, according to Reuters. The NTSB's findings support Tesla's account of the crash, which the company had offered in the days after the June 19 incident, according to TechCrunch.
The preliminary report is part of an ongoing NTSB investigation. The agency noted that all aspects of the crash remain under review as it works to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also opened a special crash investigation into the incident.
Tesla classifies Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as an SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance system, meaning the driver remains fully responsible for operating the vehicle while the system provides continuous assistance with acceleration, braking, and steering, the NTSB said.
When federal authorities first opened their inquiry into the crash, Martha Avila was inside the home when the vehicle broke through the wall and was transported by air to a hospital, where she died. Butler tested negative for intoxication and was cooperating with authorities at the scene, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The family of Martha Avila retained legal representation to pursue litigation against Butler and Tesla, and Butler has since been charged with manslaughter, according to TechCrunch.
NHTSA has opened nearly 50 special investigations of Tesla crashes believed to involve advanced driver assistance systems since 2016, with roughly two dozen deaths reported across those cases, according to Reuters.
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