Beech B19 accident near Scott City, Kansas, June 24, 2023
On June 24, 2023 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1970 Beech B19, registered N9721Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Scott City, Kansas (Scott City Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power as a result of carburetor icing that formed while the engine was operating at a low power setting for an extended period before departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2023 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Scott City, Kansas · Scott City Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B19, built 1970 · all B19s on the register
- Registration
- N9721Q · no longer on the register · serial MB-493
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after he started the engine, he let it idle about 600 rpm for a “few minutes,” and began to taxi to the runway for departure. He waited for another airplane to perform a back-taxi and depart, then he back-taxied and completed an engine run-up before realizing he left something behind. He then taxied back to the fixed base operator (FBO), collected his items, and again taxied to the runway for departure. He did not complete another engine run-up before takeoff. During the takeoff roll, he noticed the engine rpm increased and did not note any anomalies. During the initial climb, the engine rpm maintained about 2,200 rpm with full throttle set. He stated that he was able to climb about 500 ft above ground level (agl) and attempted a return to the airport. He said that when he was abeam the runway, he thought he was “losing altitude and power,” and made a shallow left turn towards the runway. Unable to maintain altitude during the turn, the pilot landed on a dirt road. During touchdown, the airplane bounced, exited the roadway, impacted a ditch, and slid into a cornfield, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. During a postaccident examination, no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were discovered that would have precluded normal operation. When the temperature and dewpoint at the time of the accident were plotted on a carburetor icing probability chart, it was revealed that the airplane was operating in an environment conducive for serious carburetor icing at a glide power setting. The pilot stated that he checked the carburetor heat before departure. After the carburetor heat check, it is likely that ice began to form in the carburetor’s venturi during the extended ground operation before departure, which, in turn, limited the engine rpm at 2,200.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb
- Fuel starvation during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 116 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 5, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2023; 4 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C (piston); 2,955 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KTQK Scott City KS at 2:15 pm
- Destination: KCYW Clay Center KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 am from KTQK, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTQK 241615Z AUTO 02012KT 10SM CLR 28/15 A2996 RMK AO2 T02770146
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA264.