Warsaw mourns the loss of four leaders after plane crash

The four men who were killed in a plane crash Friday en route to the Notre Dame-Clemson football game were expecting lousy weather for the game, but they weren't very worried about the safety of their flight from Warsaw to South Carolina.

"Yeah, it was a little iffy," said Marvin Hensley, an employee and longtime family friend of Tony Elliott, a passenger on the flight. "Cindy (Elliott's wife) made a comment that the weather was going to be kind of crappy, maybe they shouldn't go, just because the storm was coming in. But no, they weren't freaked about anything."

Hensley noted that Cindy was talking more about their comfort while watching the game than their safety in the air. The pilot, Charlie Smith, had flown to many away Notre Dame games in the past and was an experienced pilot, Hensley said.

Hensley was one of the many people Saturday in the Warsaw area who were mourning the deaths of Elliott, 54, a Hall of Fame sprint car driver and owner of Warsaw-based Elliott's Custom Trailers and Carts; Smith, 71, a former teacher, football coach, banker and Warsaw community leader; his son, Scott A. Smith, a 44-year-old Warsaw attorney; and Scott Bibler, 51, an Akron native and former football coach and guidance counselor.  

They were killed when the elder Smith's single-engine plane crashed on the bank of Lake Hartwell, about a mile from where they had planned to land at Oconee Regional Airport, which is a five-minute drive to the Clemson University campus. An airport official told The Greenville News that the weather conditions, with historic and life-threatening levels of rain forecast for the weekend, already were "dismal." 

Charlie Smith and Bibler were both former Tippecanoe Valley High School football coaches. Smith was also serving as a Warsaw city councilman.

Each of the men were accomplished in their careers and heavily involved in making their community a better place to live, loved ones said.

Smith started the Tippecanoe Valley High School football program in 1975 and captured a state title just four years later.

Elliott won national sprint car racing titles in 1998 and 2000 and was described by many as a "legend" in sprint racing.

Tony Stewart Racing posted a message on Facebook Saturday.

"A fierce competitor on the track, he was also a father, husband, son, brother and friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Elliott family at this time. Godspeed & Rest In Peace," the message said.

The Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, issued a statement Saturday afternoon regarding the loss of Smith. "Charlie Smith was a beloved coach and revered business and civic leader who was also a devoted Notre Dame fan. We mourn his death and the loss of his son and friends, and keep their families in our prayers." 

The Federal Aviation Administration received a mayday transmission from the Piper PA-32 aircraft shortly after 3 p.m., as it made its way toward the airport. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the flight, and the crash occurred at about 3:10 p.m., according to authorities.

Bibler had coached Tippecanoe Valley from 1990 to 2005, and then again for the 2014 season before leaving at the end of the 2014-2015 school year to become director of business development of the Crosswinds program at Kendallville-based Lifeline Youth & Family Services.

Lifeline CEO Mark Terrell played football with Bibler at Taylor University and their paths crossed again earlier this year when Terrell came to speak at Tippecanoe Valley High School. Over the past two years, the small school had experienced many suicides and sudden deaths, and Terrell had been invited to give a presentation about his organization's services, he said.

That night, Terrell and Bibler had dinner.

"In tears, he said, 'Mark, I believe this is what God wants me to do,'" Terrell said. "He felt he could have a bigger impact working with youths and families outside the school."

Terrell said he is also next door neighbors with Elliott on Winona Lake. Charlie lived on the lake as well. 

"Scott (Bibler) and Tony are probably two of the sweetest men I know," he said. "They're kind, thoughtful. I don't think I ever saw them not smiling. Everyone knows where Tony's house is. He says, 'If you need anything, go into my garage and get it. Today we were planning to go to the lake and pull my dock out, and I guarantee if he was still here, he would be helping me pull my dock out."

Tippecanoe Valley High School Principal Michael Bendicsen opened up the school Saturday morning for alumni, students and parents to come in and share stories about the men and console each other.

"Scott Bibler was a very trusted person here at the school," Bendicsen said. "He was a rock for us. Probably one of the saddest parts of this is any situation like this, he'd be a guy we'd go to help us out. So to lose him in this way is doubly difficult."

Terrell said Charlie Smith would come to the men each year and invite them to choose a Notre Dame road game they wanted to fly to. They would look at the schedule and try to pick a place they hadn't yet been or that looked interesting. They had talked about flying to a Western Michigan University game, since Terrell's son, Zach Terrell, is that team's starting quarterback, but they never finalized those plans, Terrell said.

"I don't understand God's plan for this," Terrell said. "I know He has one but it's a little hard to get your head around it right now. I do know there's a purpose, I do."

Tribune staff photographer Becky Malewitz contributed to this report.