The final radio communication from the pilot of the helicopter carrying Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, has emerged, offering a chilling glimpse into the moments before the aircraft crashed near Marondera.
According to an account given by Chivayo’s senior security aide, Froster Chisi, the helicopter encountered increasingly difficult weather conditions while returning from Chivayo’s rural homestead in Gandami, Chikomba, on September 30, 2026.
Chisi was travelling in a separate helicopter that was flying nearby and said he could hear communications between the two aircraft.
As the weather deteriorated, the pilot of the helicopter carrying Chivayo reportedly considered changing the route in an attempt to avoid the difficult conditions.
But the situation quickly became more serious.
According to Chisi’s account, the pilot repeatedly communicated that he was struggling inside the cloud.
“I’m in bad weather, I haven’t exited the cloud,” the pilot reportedly said during the radio exchange.
Those words would become among the final known communications from the cockpit.
The pilot’s aircraft was believed to be somewhere around Surrey as the two helicopters continued their journey. The crew of the second helicopter remained in communication with their colleagues, apparently trying to establish their position and destination.
Then came the exchange that has attracted widespread attention.
The pilot carrying Chivayo reportedly asked, “Which destination?”
The other pilot responded that they were heading towards Marondera.
But there was no further response.
Communication with the helicopter was suddenly lost.
Shortly afterwards, the aircraft crashed in the Marondera area, killing everyone aboard. Initial reports about the number of victims varied, although authorities and subsequent reports have differed on the exact passenger count. Reuters reported that the helicopter carried seven people, including two pilots, while other accounts have reported different figures.
Chivayo, his wife Lucy and the other occupants were killed in the tragedy.
The crash has since triggered an investigation into what happened during the final stages of the flight. Authorities are examining the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the weather conditions and the aircraft’s final movements.
For those following the tragedy, however, the pilot’s final radio exchanges have provided one of the most haunting accounts yet of the disaster.
There was no dramatic farewell or warning of an imminent crash. Instead, the final moments appear to have been marked by bad weather, heavy cloud, uncertainty over location and a sudden loss of communication.
The haunting words — “I’m in bad weather, I haven’t exited the cloud” — have consequently become closely associated with the final minutes of the flight that claimed the lives of Chivayo, his wife and the other occupants.
