TV’s Outback Wrangler, Matt Wright, takes legal action of his own over fatal chopper crash
TV’s Outback Wrangler, Matt Wright, has launched his own legal action in the face of several lawsuits over the helicopter crash that killed mate and co-star Chris Wilson.
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Faced with the legal fight of his career, Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright has launched a cross-claim in the Federal Court where he’s defending a lawsuit brought by the widow of his co-star, who died while collecting crocodile eggs from a sling under a helicopter.
Danielle Wilson is seeking damages from Mr Wright, his company Helibrook and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, over the death of Chris Wilson in a crash at King River in the Northern Territory in February 2022.
Ms Wilson claims CASA should never have allowed the operation of a helicopter with a “human sling” and argues Mr Wright and Helibrook are also liable for Mr Wilson’s death by failing to take reasonable precautions.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found the helicopter crashed as a result of fuel exhaustion, killing Mr Wilson who was in a sling beneath it.
Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic as a result of the crash.
Mr Wright, who starred in Outback Wrangler and the Netflix series Wild Croc Territory, also faces a criminal charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The charge relates to his actions in the aftermath of the fatal crash when he was first on the scene.
At a trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court in July he intends to defend himself against the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years’ jail.
NT WorkSafe s pursuing Mr Wright over alleged breaches of the Work Safety Act, and Mr Wright is fighting to keep the matter in Darwin Local Court.
Since the helicopter crash, Helibrook’s Air Operators Certificate has been cancelled by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, and Mr Wright’s commercial pilot’s licence withdrawn.
He recently put his family home just outside of Darwin on the market and filed the cross-claim against HDI Global Speciality and Unity Insurance Brokers.
In the cross-claim Mr Wright said HDI was in breach of its own policy by refusing to compensate him and Helibrook for the lawsuit brought against them, resulting in loss and damage.
He argued the policy was in place at the time of the accident, yet claims made by Helibrook and himself in 2022 and 2024 respectively, had been refused.
The court document said HDI contended they were not liable to indemnify Mr Wright and Helibrook “in respect of the risk arising from operating under an instrument which permitted Helibrook to undertake human slinging”.
However, the cross-claim argued that insurance broker Unity was aware of the activities undertaken by Helibrook and the fact they involved human slinging, when the policy was issued.
“Unity owed Helibrook and Mr Wright a duty of care, and breached that duty of care,” the cross-claim says.
In response, Mr Wright and his company wanted HDI and Unity to cover the costs of the legal proceedings brought by Ms Wilson, the costs of the cross-claim and a payout for the hull loss of the helicopter.
The matter is due to return to the Federal Court before Justice Helen Raper on March 18.
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Originally published as TV’s Outback Wrangler, Matt Wright, takes legal action of his own over fatal chopper crash
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