A veteran New Orleans anchor was killed in a small plane crash along with a stunt pilot

Nancy Parker was shooting a story in a stunt plane when the crash happened in a field near the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

"Nancy was a part of the Fox 8 family for the last 23 years. She put her heart and soul into her work, covering thousands of stories and touching countless lives," Vice President and General Manager Tim Ingram said. "She made a difference in the lives of those she reported on. She will be sorely missed, and her absence creates a void that cannot be filled."

Parker, 53, is survived by her husband and three children, according to the station. She and the pilot were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not provided information on the pilot's identity.

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said Parker was an outstanding anchor and a leader in local television.

"(Parker) fostered great trust with both those who she covered and with her viewers," Benson said.

The city's police department said it shared the same mission as Parker -- make New Orleans a better place to live, work and visit.

"A true lover of New Orleans -- and New Orleans truly loved her back," the department wrote on Facebook.

According to the station, Parker was from Alabama and began anchoring the news on radio when she was a high school senior. She worked briefly in the press office of a US congressman before beginning her television career in Columbus, Georgia, in 1989.

She made a short stop in Montgomery, Alabama before landing a job in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1990. She stayed there until 1996 when she joined WVUE as a weekend anchor.

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