When did this incident occur?

The incident is recorded as occurring on July 15, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.

Incident · Regulatory action

NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph

The NTSB released preliminary findings on July 15, 2026 for the June 19 fatal Tesla Model 3 crash in Katy, Texas that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila. Electronic data recovered from the vehicle indicated the driver had engaged Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) but manually overrode it by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%, with the vehicle traveling at greater than 70 mph when it crashed into a home. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, was previously charged with manslaughter. The NTSB noted all aspects remain under investigation and it plans to issue safety recommendations.

Occurred 2026-07-15 · Tesla

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Track NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph

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REST API: /v1/incidents/5b5943ed-8722-46c9-a6ec-a6ec07edf1b3
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Sources (2)

Houston Public Media · https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2026/07/15/557180/tesla-fatal-crash-houston-ntsb-investigation/ · 2026-07-15
NTSB · https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/HWY26FH014.aspx · 2026-07-15

Status history

Active · 2026-07-16 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph?: The NTSB released preliminary findings on July 15, 2026 for the June 19 fatal Tesla Model 3 crash in Katy, Texas that killed 76-year-old Martha Avila. Electronic data recovered from the vehicle indicated the driver had engaged Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) but manually overrode it by pressing the accelerator pedal to 100%, with the vehicle traveling at greater than 70 mph when it crashed into a home. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, was previously charged with manslaughter. The NTSB noted all aspects remain under investigation and it plans to issue safety recommendations.
When did this incident occur?: The incident is recorded as occurring on July 15, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph?: The incident is recorded as involving Tesla on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph?: No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of NTSB preliminary report: Tesla Katy crash driver overrode FSD by pressing accelerator to 100%, vehicle exceeded 70 mph?: This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.

Methodology: Unreviewed · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-16

Verification posture

Unreviewed

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-16

Sources by quality tier

1: unclassified; Unclassified source
1: primary-government-record; Government record

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

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Canonical ID 5b5943ed-8722-46c9-a6ec-a6ec07edf1b3