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
- 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
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for the Record Pilot Statement CEN23LA226 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record Witness Interview Summary CEN23LA226 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Bill of Sale CEN23LA226 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for the Record Accident Site and Wreckage Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Carburetor Ice Probability Supporting Documents CEN23LA226 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Carburetor Ice Probability Chart CEN23LA226 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Memorandum for the Record Logbooks and NTSB Form 6120 CEN23LA226 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
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
- N3830K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Temco GC-1 116 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Temco 131 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Malinchak Pvt Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,659 aircraft registered
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.
