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Accidents · NTSB CEN23LA226 · Final report

Temco GC-1B accident near Bristow, Oklahoma, June 3, 2023

On June 3, 2023 at about 9:35 pm local time, a 1948 Temco GC-1B, registered N3830K, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Bristow, Oklahoma (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The loss of engine power due to carburetor ice due to the pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 3, 2023 · about 9:35 pm local time · cases in 2023
Place
Bristow, Oklahoma · Private · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Temco GC-1B NO SERIES, built 1948 · all GC-1Bs on the register
Registration
N3830K · registry record · serial 3519
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot was enroute to a private grass airstrip to practice touch-and-go landings. A witness observed the airplane approach the airstrip about 300 ft. The airplane was in a shallow left turn and the engine was running rough. He said that the engine lost and regained rpms about four times before it stopped running. The airplane appeared to be flying slowly. Seconds later, the witness heard the airplane make a sudden and audible contact with the ground, and he went immediately to the accident site. The airplane was lying upright in a vegetated field with the forward part of the fuselage and wings substantially damaged. The pilot told the witness that all he could remember was that the engine was running rough and that he was trying to correct the problem. The pilot said that he thought that he had carburetor ice, so he applied carburetor heat, but the engine roughness got worse. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, fuel system, and the engine, did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The airplane was being operated in weather conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power. Based on the pilot’s and the witness’s recollection of the event and the weather conditions, the loss of engine power was most likely the result of carburetor icing due to the pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Fuel related during maneuvering defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
  • Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Malfunction other cases naming the engine
  • Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 500 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: annual inspection
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
  • Observation at 4:35 pm from KCUH, 19 miles away

Weather report (METAR): KCUH 032135Z AUTO 36003KT 10SM CLR 26/17 A2989 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT S T02570168

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

7 documents, released by the NTSB on November 7, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA226.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.