Driver claimed FSD was active, but data showed he overrode speed limits and never touched the brakes

Tesla logo [Getty Images]
Tesla logo [Getty Images]

US authorities have charged the driver of a Tesla vehicle with manslaughter after the car crashed into a residential home in Texas, killing a resident inside.

The driver claimed he had been using Tesla's supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature at the time of the crash. But after reviewing the vehicle's data recorder, investigators concluded he had manually pressed the accelerator to override the system and was speeding when the collision occurred.

According to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday, authorities charged Michael David Butler, 44, with manslaughter in connection with the June 19 incident, in which a Tesla Model 3 struck a brick home in Katy, near Houston, killing a resident in their 70s.

Butler told police and paramedics that he had been working a delivery shift at the time.

He also said the vehicle was operating in FSD mode and that he lost consciousness after changing music on the touchscreen.

Data from the vehicle's black box told a different story, however. Investigators found that Butler had pressed the accelerator multiple times in the residential area and had disabled the default FSD speed settings.

The vehicle reached speeds of up to 117 kilometers per hour — more than twice the posted speed limit for the neighborhood. In the final minute before impact, the brake pedal was never pressed.

Butler had also searched Google multiple times for ways to make FSD more "aggressive," apparently dissatisfied with how the system performed by default.

Tesla vehicles come standard with Autopilot, which maintains a set following distance. The optional FSD feature goes further, handling lane changes and navigation entirely through AI while requiring the driver only to supervise.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk pushed back on the case on X, formerly Twitter, calling it "absurd." "FSD drives slowly in residential areas — this was a speeding accident," he wrote.

Separate Tesla crash in California

'Cannot determine whether mechanical failure or impairment was to blame'

In a separate incident, a Tesla SUV plowed into an outdoor cafe patio at a shopping center in Simi Valley, California, on Monday afternoon, killing one person and injuring five others, according to ABC News.

The Tesla driver was a 64-year-old woman. Four children were also in the vehicle at the time. Whether Tesla's advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) was active during the crash has not been determined.

A Simi Valley Police Department spokesperson said authorities do not believe the incident was intentional, but added that they "cannot determine" whether a mechanical defect or alcohol and drug use was responsible.


yul@heraldcorp.com