Tesla faces federal probe after Model 3 crash that killed 76-year-old

Published
June 22, 2026
Outcome
Fatal
Location
Katy, Texas
residential home in Katy
View on map
Incident type
Crash

Summary

Car Crash Katy Texas in Katy, Texas: A Tesla Model 3 slammed into a home in Katy, Texas, a Houston suburb in Harris County, killing 76-year-old Martha Avila. The driver, Michael Butler, told authorities he had been using Tesla's partially automated Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software when the vehicle barreled out of its lane and into the home. Tesla executives claimed the driver manually overrode the system by pressing the accelerator to 100%, reaching 73 mph during the crash with the accelerator still pressed after impact. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a special crash investigation into the incident.

Publicly reported parties

Name Role Status
Martha Avila Unknown Fatal
Michael Butler Unknown Unknown
Michael Butler / Tesla At-fault party

Original reporting

Tesla faces federal probe after Model 3 crash that killed 76-year-old

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