NTSB finds driver overrode Tesla, causing fatal Texas crash

Federal safety investigators have determined that a fatal crash involving a Tesla in Katy, Texas, last month was caused by the driver manually overriding the vehicle's driver-assistance system by pressing the accelerator to its maximum position. The preliminary findings, released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, confirm that the driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, had engaged the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature but then overrode it, accelerating the car to over 70 miles per hour on a residential street before it crashed into a home on June 16, 2026.

The crash killed 76-year-old Martha Avila, who was inside her home at the time. Security camera footage shows the Tesla accelerating through an intersection, leaving the roadway, and crashing through a brick wall. The NTSB noted that weather and road conditions were clear at the time of the incident. Data recovered from the 2025 Tesla Model 3 showed the vehicle was traveling more than 70 mph on Rose Hollow Lane, a road with a 30 mph speed limit, at the moment of impact.

The NTSB report supports statements made by Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, shortly after the crash. Musk had asserted on...