The husband and children of a New Orleans television anchor who died on assignment in a small plane crash this summer are suing the plane's owner and engine manufacturer.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Orleans Parish Civil District Court by Glen Boyd, the husband of Nancy Parker, against the owner of the biplane, Drug Fighters Enterprises and Lycoming Engines.

According to the lawsuit, the plane carrying Parker had a defective engine. The plane's pilot, Franklin J.P. Augustus, was also killed in the Aug. 16 crash.

The plane had a delayed takeoff that day from Lakefront Airport due to mechanical problems, the lawsuit states. Augustus had been cleared to return to the airport when the aircraft struck the ground in a nearby field, the National Transportation Safety Board said in August.

The lawsuit also names the couple's children as petitioners. Neither Boyd nor his attorneys immediately returned requests for comment Wednesday.

Drug Fighters Enterprises could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for Lycoming Engines told NBC News it does not comment on current litigation.

Parker, 53, a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, was doing a story on Augustus' work as a stunt pilot the day she died, according to the lawsuit. She had worked for the Fox affiliate WVUE for 23 years, the station said.

Her husband and children are seeking unspecified compensatory damages.