Accident Overview
At 1736 eastern daylight time on August 26, 2012, a Mooney M20C, registration N557M, was involved in an accident while departing from East Hampton Airport (HTO) in East Hampton, New York. The flight was a personal flight operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Initial Climb and Emergency
The pilot reported that after an uneventful preflight inspection, a successful engine start, and taxi to the departure runway, he departed runway 10. Once airborne, he retracted the landing gear and flaps, and the engine rpm decreased from 2,750 rpm to 2,400 rpm. The pilot verified that the carburetor heat was off and that the throttle, propeller, and mixture controls were full forward. He declared an emergency with the East Hampton Control Tower and turned left to return to a closed runway. During the turn, the engine became quiet, and the airplane collided with trees.
Wreckage Examination
An FAA Inspector examined the wreckage and noted postcrash fire damage to both wing spars, the right and left horizontal stabilizers, and the right and left elevators. The cabin area was entirely consumed by fire. Both wing spars remained attached to the fuselage, but the wing assemblies were on top of a grassy area. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The position of the nose landing gear could not be determined due to obstruction by engine and cockpit debris, while the main landing gear were retracted. The tail section separated from the fuselage; both horizontal stabilizers and elevators remained attached and fire damaged. The rudder assembly stayed attached to the horizontal stabilizer.
Engine Examination
Examination of the engine by an FAA Inspector and a Lycoming Engines representative confirmed crankshaft continuity to the rear gears and valve train. Compression was observed in all four cylinders when the crankshaft was rotated, and borescope inspection revealed no anomalies in the cylinders. The propeller blade marked "A" was bent aft about 5 degrees; blade "B" had scuffed paint near the tip and was free to rotate; blade "C" was bent aft about 100 degrees, 18 inches outboard of the hub, with the tip bent forward and about 1.5 inches broken off and missing. The carburetor was partially disassembled and showed fire distortion, with floats destroyed by fire and the bowl parting gasket partially burned. No fuel was in the carburetor. Engine fuel system hoses were fire damaged, and the carburetor fuel inlet screen was fire damaged with no debris observed. The magnetos were fire damaged and could not be operated. The engine-driven fuel pump was partially consumed by fire. The oil filter media was charred but without debris, and oil was present in the engine. The oil cooler was partially separated and fire damaged.
Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. His most recent 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 Mooney M20C.
Aircraft Information
The single-engine airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1D engine, serial number L-8683-36A, rated at 180 horsepower. An annual inspection was completed on March 1, 2012, at 3,984 total aircraft hours. The time since overhaul was 622 hours.
Weather Conditions
At 1735, the weather observation at HTO reported wind from 160 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet. Temperature was 23°C, dew point 17°C, and altimeter setting 30.29 inHg. Review of the FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated conditions conducive to light carburetor icing at cruise and glide power.