On August 26, 2012, at 1736 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N557M, registered to a private owner, experienced a total loss of engine power on initial takeoff climb from East Hampton Airport (HTO), East Hampton, New York. During the pilot’s attempt to return to the airport he collided with trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage due to impact and postcrash fire. The private pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. The flight was operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, after an uneventful preflight inspection, he completed a successful engine start and proceeded to taxi to the departure runway. After completing his engine runup, he departed runway 10. Once airborne the pilot retracted the landing gear and flaps and the engine rpm decreased from 2,750 rpm to 2,400 rpm. The pilot verified the carburetor heat was off, and the throttle, propeller, and mixture controls were full forward. He declared an emergency with East Hampton Control Tower and turned left in an attempt to return to a closed runway. During the turn "the engine became quiet" and the airplane collided with trees.

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector revealed postcrash fire damage to both wing spars, the right and left horizontal stabilizers, and right and left elevators. The cabin area had been entirely consumed by the postcrash fire. Both wing spars were attached to the fuselage; however, the wing assemblies were located on top of a grassy noel. Continuity of the flight controls was confirmed at the accident scene. The position of the nose landing gear could not be confirmed as it had been obstructed by the engine and cockpit debris. The main landing gear were in the retracted position. The tail section of the airplane was separated from the fuselage. Both horizontal stabilizers and elevators remained attached and were fire damaged. The rudder assembly remained attached to the horizontal stabilizer.

Examination of the engine by an FAA Inspector and a representative of Lycoming Engines confirmed continuity of the crankshaft to the rear gears and to the valve train. Compression was observed at all four cylinders as the crankshaft was rotated. The interiors of the cylinders were examined with a lighted borescope and no anomalies were noted. The propeller blade marked “A” was bent aft about 5 degrees. The propeller blade marked “B” exhibited scuffed paint near the propeller tip and was free to rotate in the hub. The blade marked “C” was bent aft about 100 degrees, about 18 inches outboard of the hub. The blade tip was bent forward and about 1.5 inches of the tip was broken off and not observed. The carburetor was partially disassembled for examination and the float bowl displayed signs of fire distortion. The carburetor floats were destroyed by fire and the bowl parting surface gasket was partially burned. No fuel was observed in the carburetor. The engine fuel system hoses were fire damaged. The carburetor fuel inlet screen was fire damaged and no debris was observed within the screen. The magnetos, which were fire damaged, remained attached to the engine and could not be operated. The engine driven fuel pump also remained attached to the engine and was partially consumed in the fire. A review of the oil system revealed that the oil filter media was charred but no debris was noted between the folds of the media. The oil cooler was partially separated from the engine and was fire damaged. Oil was observed in the engine. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. The pilot’s most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on June 30, 2012. The pilot reported 1,200 total hours of flight experience with over 330 hours in the M20C. The single-engine airplane, was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1D, serial number L-8683-36A, 180-horsepower engine. An annual inspection was completed on March 1, 2012 at 3,984 total aircraft hours. Total time since field overhaul was 622 hours. At 1735, the weather observation at HTO, included wind from 160 degrees at 10 knots, 10 miles visibility, and scattered clouds at 1,500 feet. The temperature was 23 degrees C, the dew point was 17 degrees C, and the altimeter setting was 30.29 inches of mercury.

Review of the FAA carburetor icing probability chart showed that conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to light carburetor icing at cruise and glide power.