Sports reporter among 5 killed in fiery plane crash in Louisiana, 1 survivor rescued
Five people, including a teenager, were killed when a small plane crashed in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday morning, fire officials said.
Six people were on board at the time. Sources told ABC News they were heading to Saturday afternoon's LSU-Oklahoma football game in Atlanta.
The two-engine Piper Cheyenne took off from the Lafayette Regional Airport and crashed about a mile away, in a field next to a post office, shortly after 9:20 a.m. local time, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.
Those killed in the crash were Ian Biggs, 51; Robert Crisp II, 59; Gretchen Vincent, 51; Michael Vincent, 15; and Carley McCord, 30,
McCord was a sports reporter with New Orleans TV station WDSU. Her father-in-law is Louisiana State University's Offensive Coordinator, Steve Ensminger, according to WDSU.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron told Ensminger about the crash, reported ESPN. Ensminger will coach Saturday's game, according to ESPN.
Orgeron said, "I looked him in his eyes, Steve grabbed my hand and said, 'We are going to get through this.'"
Following the Tigers' 63-28 blowout win over the Sooners, Orgeron told ESPN reporter Holly Rowe that the two coaches didn't speak much about the subject.
"Coach Ensminger and I addressed it. We didn't have a lot of time to talk. But he’s getting the game ball tonight," Orgeron said during the post-game interview. "What a tremendous, tremendous LSU tiger. He called a great game tonight."
McCord's WDSU colleagues are "devastated" by the loss, WDSU President and General Manager, Joel Vilmenay, said in a statement released by the station.
"Carley’s passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from high school to the professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist," Vilmenay said. "As we reflect on her impressive body of work, we offer our deepest condolences to her family."
Her fellow WDSU sports reporter, Fletcher Mackel, tweeted, "Smart, funny, hard working - a friend to everyone. It was impossible not to like Carley McCord. Still trying to process this. Thoughts and prayers go out to her husband Steven, family and friends.
The lone survivor on the plane, 37-year-old Stephen Berzas, was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition, city officials said.
Three people on the ground were hurt. One person on the ground, near or in a car, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Two people inside the post office were treated for smoke inhalation and "are doing fine," Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit told reporters.
The circumstances surrounding the crash are not yet clear. Witnesses said the plane made contact with power lines and hit the parking lot outside the post office, blowing out the building's windows, before coming to rest in a field.
The crash set the plane and one car on fire, according to the fire department. Both blazes were quickly extinguished, officials said.
It's unclear if a flight recorder was on the plane, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesperson.
NTSB investigators are set to arrive at the crash site Saturday night. They will address reporters Sunday morning.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards tweeted, "Heartbreaking news out of Lafayette today. Please join @FirstLadyOfLA and I in praying for the families and friends of everyone affected by this terrible tragedy."
This accident in Lafayette is the deadliest civil aviation crash in Louisiana since January 2009 when a helicopter crashed into a marsh, killing eight, according to NTSB records.
ABC News’ Jeff Cook, Josh Hoyos and Kaylee Hartung contributed to this report
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