NHTSA opens inquiry after Tesla crashes into Texas home, killing woman

Federal safety regulators have opened an inquiry after a Tesla whose driver said it was on Autopilot crashed into a home in Texas, killing a 76-year-old woman who was inside, according to officials.

The crash happened at about 8 p.m. on Friday in the 21300 block of Rose Hollow Lane in Katy, a suburb west of Houston. The Wall Street Journal reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal inquiry into the crash on Monday.

The driver, identified as Michael Butler by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, was traveling east in a Tesla Model 3 when the vehicle left the road and crashed through the brick home at a high rate of speed.

Martha Avila, 76, was inside the home when she was struck by the car, according to the sheriff’s office. She was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The driver was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Constable Terry Allbritton’s office said the driver told deputies the Tesla was on Autopilot at the time of the crash.

The sheriff’s office said Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative with investigators.

No details were immediately released about the scope of the federal inquiry.

A family’s ordinary evening turned into a nightmare when a Tesla came crashing through the front of their Texas home.

The crash killed 76-year-old Martha Avila Mantilla, according to her family. Investigators say the driver told authorities an automated driving assistance system… pic.twitter.com/FsUhI9Ptib

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 21, 2026