Tesla driver in fatal Texas crash pressed accelerator 100%, NTSB probe says

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into a fatal Tesla crash in Texas concluded that the driver, Michael Butler, pressed the accelerator to 100% before colliding with a house and killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The crash occurred on June 19 when Butler's Tesla Model 3 failed to maintain its lane, left the roadway, and entered the residence at high speed.

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Electronic data recovered from the vehicle indicated that before the crash, the driver manually overrode FSD (Supervised) by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%, and the vehicle’s speed was greater than 70 mph when the crash occurred.

Butler, who faces manslaughter charges, initially told police the vehicle was on autopilot. However, the NTSB's electronic data recovery indicated that Butler manually overrode the "Supervised" Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature by accelerating to 100%. The vehicle was traveling over 70 mph at the time of the crash. Avila, who was inside her home, was fatally injured, while Butler sustained minor injuries.

Despite the NTSB's findings, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Ashok Elluswamy, vice president of autopilot for Tesla, expressed skepticism. Musk tweeted that the NTSB's conclusion "makes no sense" as FSD drives slowly. Elluswamy stated on X that the driver manually overrode the system by pressing the accelerator to its maximum.

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This makes no sense. FSD (Full Self-Driving) drives slowly through neighborhood streets and this was a high-speed crash!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has also opened a special investigation into the crash. The incident has drawn national attention as Musk aims to reassure the public about the safety of Tesla's self-driving technology amidst plans to expand its autonomous vehicle offerings.

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Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accelerator pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.