NH pilot Steven Fay enters guilty plea in charge for crash that killed his daughter

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A New Hampshire man who piloted a plane that crashed in Orange, killing his daughter, has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for her death.

Fifty-eight year-old Steven T. Fay of Hillsborough, N.H. entered the plea in Franklin Superior Court in Greenfield on Tuesday, according to Mary Carey, spokesperson for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

Fay’s daughter, 35 year-old Jessica Malin, was killed when the Cessna twin-engine plane crashed short of the runway at Orange Municipal Airport. The plane’s wings had clipped some trees on the approach to the airport, causing the crash.

Carey says that Fay had a pilot’s license, but he was not qualified to be flying that type of plane without an instructor on-board. She says he also was advised by his instructor not to fly at night, or with passengers on board.

Prosecutors and Fay’s attorney are recommending probation until the end of next year. Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne says that they never intended to put Fay in jail.

“While we believed it was important to hold Mr. Fay legally responsible for the crash that claimed Ms. Malin’s life, we also recognize that he will live with this tragedy for the rest of his life, regardless of what happened in court,” Gagne said.

The FAA revoked Fay’s pilot’s license following the crash, and prosecutors are asking that he never again be allowed to have his license re-instated.