Laura Traphagen aborted a takeoff from the East Hampton Airport on the afternoon of Oct. 11 after the Diamond Star XLS DA-40 plane she was piloting experienced a brake malfunction.
Ms. Traphagen, an East Hampton Village resident, told town police that she was about to take off when she “felt her brakes stalling and ‘grabbing’ the runway.” After determining that the emergency brake was not engaged, and therefore not the culprit, she deemed it wise to stay on the ground. The plane, however, continued to motor down the runway before running out of asphalt, at which point it veered off to a grassy area beyond, crashing into a metal fence before coming to a halt.
Its left wing was damaged in the collision, as was a left propeller light. The fence was also damaged. Police contacted Drew Adira of the Federal Aviation Administration’s regional Farmingdale office to report the incident.
Ms. Traphagen, 59, who was the lone occupant of the Austrian-built single engine four-seater, was uninjured.