UPDATED 9:48 PM EDT Oct 02, 2015
Authorities from Georgia and South Carolina say four people were killed in a plane crash near the state line at Lake Hartwell.
The Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley confirmed to WYFF News 4 a small plane had crashed near the state line along Lake Hartwell.
Investigators said the plane's debris field was discovered in a tree line near the lake, and in the lake.
Authorities from both Stephens County and Oconee County said the crash was in the Highway 123 area.
Crews said they have located the plane's fuselage and that 4 people on board did not survive.
The FAA says it alerted local authorities and airports around 4 p.m. about a missing aircraft.
According to the FAA, the plane was headed to the Clemson airport.
NTSB and FAA officials are headed to Lake Hartwell to begin investigating the crash.
The plane was owned by Smith Family Aviation LLC of Warsaw, Indiana.
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WALHALLA, S.C. - Former Tippy Valley Football Coaches Charlie Smith and Scott Bibler are among four people that were killed Friday in a plane crashed headed to Clemson for the Notre Dame-Clemson football game, Tippy Valley Athletic Director Duane Burkhart confirmed to WNDU.
Burkhart says Smith's son Scott, a Tippy Valley graduate and former basketball player was also killed in the crash. The 4th person killed was sprint car racer Tony Elliot, his brother-in-law confirms to WNDU.
Oconee County Emergency Services Deputy Chief Adam Williams said the crash happened Friday on the shore of Lake Hartwell in a remote area about 20 miles outside of Clemson. Williams said first responders found debris on the ground and in the water before reaching the site.
The FAA confirmed that plane belong to Charlie Smith. Councilman Smith is a certified pilot and is included by the FAA in the Airmen Certification Database. Burkhart says Smith was the pilot of the flight.
Charlie Smith was the football coach at Tippy Valley when the program first started in 1975. He led them to a state championship in 1979. Smith currently served as a Warsaw councilman.
"Charlie lived life to the fullest," Burkhart said. "He was very well respected in the community, very well respected in not only the Tippacanoe Valley community but also the Warsaw community."
Burkhart said Charlie Smith also was an avid Notre Dame fan and went to all the games, home and away.
Charlie's son Scott Smith was a lawyer in Warsaw. Scott Smith was a Tippy Valley graduate and played basketball for the Vikings.
"They were a very close-knit father and son," Burkhart said.
Bibler coached the Tippy Valley football team from 1990-2005 compiling a record of 98-68. He returned in 2014 but resigned after a 1-9 season.
Burkart says he and his wife were very close with the Biblers.
"He was the most genuine person you would ever meet," Burkhart said of Bibler. "He was a great educator, he was a very good coach and a very good friend to many of us."
Bibler served as a guidance counselor for a long time at Tippy Valley as well.
"His whole life has basically been based around helping other people," Burkhart said.
Elliot was a sprint car driver. He owned Elliot's Cars and Karts in Warsaw. He was known to be a big supporter of Warsaw athletics and recently retired from racing.
"He was unbelievable," Irish Saunders of Plymouth Speedway said of Elliot. "He was great for the sport."
Saunders said Elliot has a billboard up at the Speedway.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Berger said in an email to the Associated Press that the wreckage of the Piper PA-32 was found on the Georgia-South Carolina border. She said the plane was headed to the airport in Clemson, South Carolina, when air traffic controllers lost contact with the flight around 4 p.m.
Flying a small plane near a hurricane for a football game is plain stupid. They paid with their lives.
Source: http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Four-dead-after-Warsaw-registered-plane-crashes-on-way-to-Clemson--330486651.html
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| Date: | 02-OCT-2015 |
| Time: | 13:36+ |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP |
| Owner/operator: | Smith Family Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N782TM |
| C/n / msn: | 32R-8513001 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Lake Hartwell near Mt Tabor Landing, SC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Warsaw Muni (KASW) |
| Oconee County Rgnl (KCEU) |
The aircraft experienced an inflight breakup and impacted trees and the waters of Lake Hartwell in Oconee County near Mt Tabor Landing, South Carolina. The airplane was destroyed and the four occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Weather may have been a factor to the accident.
Sources:
http://m.wyff4.com/news/sc-georgia-authorities-investigating-plane-crash-reports/35623396
http://wspa.com/2015/10/02/oconee-co-deputies-search-for-possible-plane-crash/
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/plane-crashes-lake-hartwell-killing-4/nns49/
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2015/10/02/crews-search-reported-plane-crash-site/73230272/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N782TM
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=782TM
Aircraft Description
| Serial Number | 32R-8513001 | Status | Valid |
| Manufacturer Name | PIPER | Certificate Issue Date | 05/06/2011 |
| Model | PA-32R-301 | Expiration Date | 05/31/2017 |
| Type Aircraft | Fixed Wing Single-Engine | Type Engine | Reciprocating |
| Pending Number Change | None | Dealer | No |
| Date Change Authorized | None | Mode S Code (base 8 / oct) | 52514651 |
| MFR Year | 1984 | Mode S Code (base 16 / hex) | AA99A9 |
| Type Registration | Corporation | Fractional Owner | NO |
Registered Owner
| Name | SMITH FAMILY AVIATION LLC | ||
| Street | 1902 N BAY DR | ||
| City | WARSAW | State | INDIANA |
| County | KOSCIUSKO | Zip Code | 46580-4630 |
| Country | UNITED STATES | ||
Airworthiness
| Engine Manufacturer | LYCOMING | Classification | Standard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engine Model | IO-540 SER | Category | Normal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A/W Date | 10/17/1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||