NTSB Report Contradicts Driver’s Account in Fatal Tesla Crash; Manslaughter Charges Filed

A preliminary NTSB report released today reveals that the driver of a Tesla Model 3 manually overrode the Full Self-Driving system before a crash that killed a grandmother in Texas, leading to manslaughter charges.

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The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report today on a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model 3 in Texas that occurred in June 2026. The report confirms that the driver, Michael Butler, 44, manually overrode the vehicle's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system by pressing the accelerator pedal fully, contradicting his earlier statement to police.

Butler initially told authorities that he had engaged FSD while adjusting music on the touchscreen and then lost consciousness. However, the NTSB found that the accelerator was depressed to 100% at the time of the crash, and the vehicle was traveling at over 70 mph. Tesla VP of AI software Ashok Elluswamy posted on X on June 22, 2026, that internal data showed the driver had reached 73 mph and kept the accelerator pressed even after the impact. The brake pedal was never used in the moments leading up to the crash, according to the NTSB.

The crash killed Martha Avila, a grandmother, who was inside her home when the vehicle struck it. Butler was completing a DoorDash delivery at the time. Toxicology tests found no alcohol or drugs in his system.

Butler was charged with manslaughter in July 2026. Avila’s family had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Butler and Tesla on June 24, 2026, alleging negligence and seeking damages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting its own investigation into the crash, part of a broader probe into Tesla’s self-driving technology that began in October 2025.