Aircraft Parts Found at Sea as Search Continues for Missing Exuma Pilot Clayton “Pat” Smith

Update: Exuma residents say Captain Smith’s sons, brother and other Exuma divers found the wreckage first.

By Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare
lol242.com · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force says it has recovered parts and official documents believed to be from the small plane that disappeared on its way from Exuma to Nassau on Sunday, November 1. There is still no sign of the pilot, Exuma’s Clayton Patterson Smith, known to many as “Pat”, and the search for him and the fuselage continues.

Parts and documents recovered

The Defence Force said that on Tuesday, November 3, its drone team and divers, working with local search and rescue teams, found numerous parts and official documentation believed to be from the overdue Piper PA-32. The parts have not yet been confirmed as coming from the aircraft. The RBDF said the plane was last seen on radar about 25 nautical miles south of New Providence, and that search and rescue operations remain under way for the fuselage while investigations continue.

The Defence Force thanked the US Coast Guard and local search and rescue teams for their help and said it remains committed to the search “in the hope of bringing some measure of closure to the families and loved ones affected.”

What we know about the flight

Captain Smith, 53, left George Town, Exuma, alone on Sunday in a Piper PA-32 registered C6-PAT, bound for Lynden Pindling International Airport. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said he was in contact with Nassau Air Traffic Control before radar contact was lost over the water about 30 miles southeast of the airport. Controllers started emergency procedures and alerted agencies including the RBDF, which sent a vessel to the plane’s last known position.

He made a distress call before contact was lost. FlightRadar data showed the plane heading towards New Providence at about 6,700 feet before circling and then descending rapidly. An aviation severe weather alert, known as a SIGMET, had been issued two hours before take-off, warning of frequent thunderstorms over Grand Bahama, Abaco, New Providence and Andros.

Who is searching

The Defence Force, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) and the United States Coast Guard are all part of the search. Police said volunteers from Black Point, Exuma, also joined in. The search was suspended on Sunday night because of bad weather and resumed the next morning, with Captain Smith’s son, his sister, who is a Defence Force officer, and private boaters joining the effort.

National Security Minister Myles Laroda said teams would use specialised software to predict where the plane may have drifted. “Due to currents and other weather elements, the plane could probably change in location,” he told reporters, adding that the software “could predict the location based on time and the current.”

The family: “I pray that he is alive”

His wife of 18 years, Lauralynn Smith, said she keeps asking what went wrong. “I pray that he is alive,” she said. “I know that whatever I have seen on the radar, it’s unclear or uncertain as to what could possibly be the end result. But I can only remain hopeful.”

She said her husband had filed his flight plan, always checked the weather before take-off, and described the weather in Exuma as “fine” when he left. He was going to Nassau to collect a passenger and a part for tractor machinery and had told his family he would be back that night. Besides flying, Captain Smith worked as a boat captain and tour guide, and is a well-known Exuma business owner.

His brother, Eugene, said the family would not stop searching until he is found, and said his brother had decades of flying experience across The Bahamas.

Leaders send prayers

Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper, MP for Exuma and Ragged Island, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this time. We pray for his safe return and for the safety and success of all those involved in the search efforts.” The Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation said further updates will come from the AAIA and the Ministry of Transport. No cause has been given.

Bahama Drama’s community appeal

On November 3, the Bahama Drama Facebook page shared a community appeal on behalf of the Exuma family and friends standing with Captain Smith. Exuma stands together, the appeal said, and it respectfully asks the authorities to commit every available resource to bringing Pat home, with the same urgency the country has seen in other searches. The appeal makes clear it is not a criticism of the men and women searching the waters, whose work the community is grateful for. It shared the plane’s last GPS coordinates as 24° 44′ 01.90″ N, 77° 04′ 50.53″ W, so boaters and searchers can focus on the area.

Anyone with information that could help is asked to contact the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the police or BASRA. lol242 will continue to follow this story. Our prayers are with Captain Smith, his wife, his children and the whole Exuma community.