KATY, Texas (Diya TV) — The driver of a Tesla that crashed into a Texas home last month, killing a 76-year-old woman inside, manually pressed the accelerator pedal to 100% before the collision, overriding the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving system, according to a preliminary finding from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash occurred June 19, when a 2025 Tesla Model 3 driven by Michael Butler, 44, of Richmond, Texas, veered off the road and struck a home in Katy, killing resident Martha Avila. According to the sheriff’s office, Butler’s car drove into the front room of the home and pinned Avila, who was airlifted to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Butler was injured in the crash but showed no signs of intoxication and cooperated with investigators, authorities said.
The NTSB said Wednesday that at the time of the collision, Butler had engaged Tesla’s Advanced Driver Assistance System, Full Self-Driving (Supervised). However, data reviewed by investigators showed that before the crash, Butler “manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%.” The Tesla was traveling more than 70 mph when it struck the house, the NTSB said, on a residential road with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. The agency said “all aspects of the crash remain under investigation” as it works to determine a probable cause and potential safety recommendations, and noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is separately investigating.
According to an arrest affidavit, Butler told police he was making a food delivery run as a DoorDash driver at the time of the crash. He said he had been operating the vehicle on Full Self-Driving mode, changed the music on the touchscreen, and then “passed out,” with the last thing he remembered being driving on Highway 6. The affidavit states Butler denied feeling ill earlier in the day, had no history of seizures, and tested negative for seizures, stroke or heart attack; no alcohol or street drugs were found in his system. Tesla vice president of AI software Ashok Elluswamy disputed characterizations that the crash occurred under autonomous control, writing on social media that “the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area.”
Butler was arrested July 1 and charged with manslaughter, a felony. He appeared in probable cause court, where a magistrate set his bond at $150,000, with conditions including an ankle monitor and a prohibition on driving. He has not entered a plea and is scheduled for arraignment next month.
Avila’s daughter and son-in-law filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Harris County District Court against both Butler and Tesla, seeking at least $1 million in damages and alleging negligence by both parties.
The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of Tesla’s driver-assistance systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened nearly 50 special investigations into crashes potentially involving Tesla’s advanced driver assistance technology since 2016, with roughly two dozen associated deaths reported. Tesla has said its Autopilot system allows vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake within their lane, while Full Self-Driving allows vehicles to obey traffic signals and change lanes — but that both systems require a fully attentive driver at all times.
