A grieving widower still texts "I love you" to his wife's tragic final message before she and four others were killed in a fiery plane crash – and he is "praying" she sees it.

Sport journalist Carley McCord, 30, wrote "I love you" to her husband, Steven Ensminger Jnr, shortly before the doomed aircraft took off, but he didn't see the message until it was too late.

Ms McCord and five others were on their way from the US city of Lafayette, Louisiana, to Atlanta when the two-engine Piper Cheyenne went down in a car park just minutes after lift-off.

The TV journalist was preparing to cover an American football game between the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers, who are coached by her father-in-law, and the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

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In an interview with ABC News, heartbroken Mr Ensminger, also 30, said of his wife's final text: "It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I finally fall asleep.

"Every once in a while throughout the day, I find myself grabbing my phone and sending a text to her phone replying, ‘I love you too'.

"Now I don’t know if that’s crazy of me or not, but I’m praying she gets my message. And I wish there was a way she could let me know she has."

Ms McCord, who married her husband in January 2018, worked for WDSU, a New Orleans TV station affiliated with NBC.

Her father-in-law Steve Ensminger, who works as an offensive coordinator with the LSU Tigers, was told of her death just hours before the national college football semifinal, known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, on December 28.

He decided to coach that night, helping undefeated and top-ranked LSU to a 63-28 win and a spot in the national final against Clemson on January 14.

Four other people – pilot Ian Biggs, 51, and passengers Vaughn Crisp, 59, Gretchen Vincent, 51, and Michael Vincent, 15 – were killed when the private plane crashed about a mile from the airport.

Mr Crisp was the vice-president of Global Data Systems, Ms Vincent, 51, was an LSU graduate and the husband of Global Data Systems' president, and Michael was her son. Ms Vincent's husband, Chris, was not onboard the small plane.

Stephen Berzas, 37, was the lone survivor. The vice-president of sales at Global Data Systems was in a critical condition in hospital with burns to most of his body.

Steve Ensminger Jnr said his "world fell apart" when his aunt called to tell him that his wife had died.

Ms McCord had also worked as an "in-game host" for New Orleans Saints football games and New Orleans Pelicans basketball games.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Experts said it could take up to half a year to come to a final conclusion.

After crashing in a post office car park, the plane burst into flames, hit a car – which was also destroyed by fire – and skidded into an open field.

Two post office workers suffered minor injuries on the ground.

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