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Incident · Fatality

Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%

A Tesla vehicle traveling over 70 mph crashed into a house in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old resident Martha Avila. NTSB preliminary report (HWY26FH014) confirmed the driver pressed the accelerator pedal to 100%, overriding Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, was charged with manslaughter.

The victim's family sued both Butler and Tesla claiming negligence. NHTSA is also probing the incident. Robot nexus: vehicle was operating with Tesla FSD (Supervised) autonomous driving software engaged.

Occurred 2026-06-29 · Tesla

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%

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Sources (3)

  1. TechCrunch · https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/15/tesla-driver-in-fatal-texas-crash-pressed-accelerator-100-ntsb-confirms/ · 2026-07-15
  2. NTSB · https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/HWY26FH014.aspx · 2026-07-15
  3. ABC7 · https://abc7news.com/story/katy-texas-crash-michael-butler-charged-manslaughter-tesla-crashes-home-killing-woman/19443106/ · 2026-07-15

Common questions

What happened in Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%?
A Tesla vehicle traveling over 70 mph crashed into a house in Katy, Texas, killing 76-year-old resident Martha Avila. NTSB preliminary report (HWY26FH014) confirmed the driver pressed the accelerator pedal to 100%, overriding Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, was charged with manslaughter. The victim's family sued both Butler and Tesla claiming negligence. NHTSA is also probing the incident. Robot nexus: vehicle was operating with Tesla FSD (Supervised) autonomous driving software engaged.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on June 29, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%?
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 Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%?
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 Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication
1
primary-government-record
Government record
1
unclassified
Unclassified source

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

Methodology surface for Tesla FSD Supervised vehicle crashes into Katy TX home at 70+ mph, killing 76-year-old resident; driver pressed accelerator 100%.

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Canonical ID 19c35580-5b2d-4ff7-b6d5-0a69852a1139