As more details emerged from the plane crash in Lafayette, Louisiana on Saturday morning, one of the five fatalities was sports reporter Carley McCord.
McCord’s husband, Steve Ensminger Jr., confirmed the news to the Associated Press that the Baton Rouge native was on the plane that crashed in a wooded area behind the Walmart on Pinhook Road. Ensminger Jr. is the son of LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
McCord, 30, was the digital media reporter for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the in-game host for New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints games along with being a sideline reporter for Cox Sports Television and ESPN3.
The plane was en route to Atlanta, Georgia for the College Football Playoff Semifinal before crashing at 9:20 am. Lafayette firefighters responded to the crash of the plane near the intersection of Verot School Road and Feu Follet. When firefighters and other first responders arrived they found the wreckage in an open field adjacent to the local Post Office.
There was a small fire involving the plane, and one vehicle was fully engulfed. Both fires were quickly extinguished. An immediate search and rescue operation was conducted.