Tesla driver fully pressed accelerator before crash, according to preliminary findings

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published preliminary findings that confirm that a Tesla driver, not the vehicle's automated system, was responsible for a fatal crash in Katy, Texas last month. Investigators state that 44-year-old Michael Butler pushed the accelerator to its maximum position, which disengaged Full Self-Driving (Supervised) just before the Model 3 struck a home, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. Electronic vehicle data revealed the vehicle to be going faster than 70 mph on a residential street with a 30 mph limit at the time of impact.

The findings align with statements Tesla made shortly after the crash, when the company disputed suggestions that its driver-assistance software was at fault. Ashok Elluswamy, VP of AI software at Tesla, publicly claimed at the time that the driver had manually floored the accelerator moments before the collision, a claim the NTSB's data now supports. 

Butler has since been charged with manslaughter, and Avila's family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against both him and Tesla. Butler claims that he had passed out prior to the accident, a claim that has not been officially verified. Moreover, investigators have found Google searches on Butler's phone such as "Tesla FSD not aggressive enough" and "Tesla FSD too timid," suggesting he may have been frustrated with the system's cautious driving behavior. However, these findings do not conclusively prove that that they motivated his actions just prior to the crash. Either way, the NTSB investigation is still ongoing.