Pilot and pastoralist Mike Harding found dead after NT chopper crash

A pilot and pastoralists final words to his home base have been revealed as air crash investigators head to the remote Territory wreckage.

Mike and Helen Harding own Gorrie Station in the Northern Territory.

Air crash investigators will battle through dense bushland to reach the wreckage where a beloved Territory cattleman lost his life.

The last time anyone heard Mike Harding’s voice was when the 59-year-old pastoralist and pilot radioed in at dusk to organise landing lights as his home base in the Katherine region.

But the beloved Territory father was never heard from again.

Instead Mr Harding and his Robinson R22 helicopter were found nearly 48-hours later, 80km south of Mataranka on the Sturt Plateau.

NT Police confirmed that Mr Harding was found deceased at the crash site at 5pm on Saturday.

NT pilot Mike Harding went missing on Thursday December 7 2023.

On Monday, assistant commissioner Travis Wurst said the cause of the crash remained a mystery, however specialists from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had arrived in Darwin, and were preparing to travel to the remote crash site.

Despite investigators arriving five days after the crash, Mr Wurst maintained the evidence at the scene had been maintained

“Given that it could have taken days or weeks to find a particular asset, (the ATSB) were never going to be here until Monday at the earliest,” he said.

“And they’re looking at a wreckage, so the wreckage doesn’t change.”

Mr Wurst said police would continue to investigate the crash on behalf of the coroner, alongside an independent safety report by the ATSB.

NT Police assistant commissioner Travis Wurst speaking at a press conference on December 11, 2023.

An NT Cattlemen’s Association spokesman said it was a “tragic incident”.

“We’d ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this difficult time,” he said.

The search for Mr Harding launched on Thursday evening after the pilot contacted Gorrie Station to notify them of his intent to land that afternoon and failed to arrive.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority Joint Rescue Coordination Centre then contacted Northern Territory Police and instigated a search for the missing cattleman and chopper.

Mr Harding’s daughter, Kate Nelder, previously told the NT News she was grateful for the community’s support throughout the search for her father.

“We’ve received so many messages and phone calls and we appreciate it,” she said.

“Dad was well known and really loved and that’s becoming really obvious – we always knew – but just a big thank you to everyone sending their support.”

The ATSB has been contacted for comment.

It is the second fatal helicopter crash of 2023, meaning 10 people have lost their lives in aviation disasters since 2017.

“One disaster was too many in my view,” Mr Wurst said.

A 65-year-old pilot was killed during a routine mustering operation in Buchanan when his Robinson R22 helicopter crashed in June.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell previously said a final report for the June crash would detail any contributing factors and any identified safety issues after the investigation was completed.

“Should any critical safety issues be identified at any stage during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken,” Mr Mitchell said in June.

Initial findings into the Buchanan crash were reported in August.

The NT has been the site of 28 chopper crashes since 2010, with seven being fatal incidents.

Originally published as Pilot and pastoralist Mike Harding found dead after NT chopper crash