JQuery :: LoadImage - Function Not Return Valid Object

I'm writing a function that substantially load a given image making a fadeout/faidin waiting 'till the complete load. The function is named "loadImage" and I would like use it in the following way:
$('#image img').fadeOut().loadImage(src).attr("src",src).fadeIn();

In order to make the image disappear, load... change the attribute "src" of the image and then re-appear. The code for the function is:
(function($) {
$.fn.loadImage = function(src) {
var img = new Image();
$(img).attr('src', src).load(function() {
return this;
});
}})(jQuery);

But when I run it I get the following error:
$("#image img").fadeOut().loadImage(src) is undefined
I think that the function don't return a "valid" object to make it chainable, isn't it?