An award-winning New Orleans television anchor was killed Friday afternoon while reporting on a feature story about a stunt pilot.
53-year-old Nancy Parker, a veteran television journalist at WVUE Fox 8, died alongside pilot Franklin J.P. Augustus, 69, when the plane they were riding in went down in a field in New Orleans East near the Lakefront Airport.
Parker was working on a story about Augustus, an African American acrobatic air show pilot who flew to honor the Tuskegee Airmen. Augustus also called himself the “world’s only black civilian air-show acrobatic pilot,” according to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Collin Arnold, the director of New Orleans’ Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the plane burst into flames when it crashed, and first responders quickly extinguished the blaze but could not save Parker and Augustus.
Parker was a five-time Emmy Award winner who worked at the New Orleans station for 23 years. She also reported at television stations in Columbus, Georgia; Montgomery, Alabama; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, during her career.
A WVUE news anchor broke the news of Parker’s tragic passing during a programming break. The anchor held back tears as he made the announcement, saying Parker was on the plane “doing what she loved, telling a story.”
This hurts! ? @NancyParkerFOX8 you have always been a bright light and cheerful spirit. Thanks for all your words of encouragement, being a listening ear and full of laughs! My thoughts and prayers are with your family and the @FOX8NOLA family. pic.twitter.com/rjxFNSS44R
— Casey Ferrand (@CaseyFerrandNO) August 17, 2019
Parker’s husband Glen Boyd, a former television journalist, shared a post on Facebook early Saturday morning expressing his grief, saying, “I would trade places with her right now.”
“My heart is shattered,” said Boyd. “The dearest and most wonderful person in my life is gone. She was our road map, our compass, our guiding light.”
Parker is survived by Boyd and her three children.
Celebrities and local city officials conveyed an outpouring of grief following Parker’s death.
“My heart goes out to the family of Nancy Parker, a beloved reporter & news anchor in New Orleans, wife and mother of three,” New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote on Twitter. “Thoughts and prayers to all of you during this time.”
My heart goes out to the family of Nancy Parker, a beloved reporter & news anchor in New Orleans, wife and mother of three. Thoughts and prayers to all of you during this time.
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) August 17, 2019
New Orleans Pelicans and Saints owner Gayle Benson also released a statement, saying, “Nancy was an outstanding, Emmy Award winning news anchor, who fostered great trust with both those who she covered and with her viewers in the New Orleans area.”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell expressed deep sadness upon Parker’s passing in a statement.
“New Orleans did not just lose a five-time Emmy-winning journalist, or a familiar, comforting face on our TV screens,” the mayor said. “We lost a mother of three, a beautiful human being, and an invaluable member of our community.”
