Outback Wrangler Matt Wright switches lawyers over NT WorkSafe helicopter safety case
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright has brought on new lawyers over allegations his company illegally tampered with his helicopter flight logs before his friend’s fatal chopper crash.
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A Territory reality television star’s legal switch up has further delayed a 14-month long battle over his mate’s fatal helicopter crash.
On Thursday Darwin Local Court judge Stephen Geary heard that Outback Wrangler Matt Wright was seeking another adjournment for his NT WorkSafe charges.
In February 2024 the safety watchdog charged Mr Wright and his company, Helibrook, with reckless conduct risking death and failing to comply with his health and safety duties.
It was alleged that Helibrook falsified the flight records of a helicopter which crashed in the paperbark swamps at the King River, West Arnhem Land in February 2022.
Beloved father and fellow Outback Wrangler star Chris “Willow” Wilson was killed in the crash, while the pilot Sebastian Robinson, was also seriously injured.
NT WorkSafe has alleged Helibrook interfered with the helicopter’s Hobbs Meter — which records flight times — and failed to accurately record the flight times in the Maintenance Release.
NT WorkSafe alleges this conduct would have impacted the regular inspection and replacement of the aircraft’s life-limited components, as there is a requirement for helicopter maintenance every 100 hours of operation.
A 2023 Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation said the helicopter crash was caused due to an engine failure, likely due to fuel exhaustion.
More than a year after WorkSafe charges were laid and three years after Mr Wilson’s death, Mr Geary heard that a scheduled legal argument was unable to proceed.
A lawyer representing Mr Wright on an amicus basis said the case had “changed hands” as of early April, and the new lawyers needed time to go through the “voluminous” documents.
He said Mr Wright’s new lawyers had indicated they would be formally abandoning the legal arguments hearing, however the “ultimate resolution of the case is still obviously up in the air”.
No pleas have been formally entered, but Mr Wright has previously indicated he would contest the WorkSafe changes.
His matter was adjourned to May 26 for a mention.
Due to his other court requirements, Mr Geary will be in Alice Springs with legal teams permitted to appear via an audiovisual link.
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Originally published as Outback Wrangler Matt Wright switches lawyers over NT WorkSafe helicopter safety case
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