1 dead, 1 hurt in Orange plane crash

ORANGE, Mass. (WWLP) - The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to figure out what caused a deadly plane crash in the Franklin County town of Orange.

State Police Spokesperson David Procopio said the plane went down around 6 p.m. Saturday evening near the Orange Municipal Airport. That plane landed upside-down in a brook by Shingle Brook Road.

The passenger, 34-year-old Jessica Fay died, the pilot, 56-year-old Steven Fay, was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries. Both are from Hillsborough, N.H.

The FAA has not released the cause of the crash. But, the Airport's Assistant Manager told 22News that the plane was approaching the 1-9 runway before it crashed. "The fact that he clipped the tree tops is we think of concern because we just had that area all tree topped and trees were taken out of that area that were a safety issue so we know the approach to I-9 was clear, should have been an easy, safe approach for any plane," said John Vanbobo.

This is at least the third western Massachusetts plane crash in the last year, the second in Orange within the last six months.