Outback Wrangler Matt Wright expected to plead over Planning Act violations for chopper use over Virginia home
A Netflix reality television star who allegedly used his backyard as a helicopter landing area is expected to plead guilty to violating the NT Planning Act. Read the latest here.
An Aussie reality television star is expected to plead guilty to unlawfully flying his choppers amid a long-running clash with his rural Top End neighbours over his backyard airstrip.
On Monday, Outback Wrangler Matt Wright indicated he would enter a plea to violating the NT Planning Act by using the backyard of his luxury Virginia home as an unauthorised landing strip for his helicopters.
It was alleged that Mr Wright continued to fly his helicopters over the semirural area, despite an explicit ruling from the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal in late 2023.
The reality television star’s neighbours lodged a formal complaint to the Development Consent Authority in 2021, flagging their frustration at having choppers constantly buzzing around their quiet bushland homes, 30km from Darwin.
Mr Wright and his Insta-famous wife appealed the DCA enforcement notice to NTCAT, with the Outback Wrangler claiming he had the right to use his choppers “ “like a motor car” — despite the annoyance and frustration to his neighbours.
But in October 2023, tribunal president Mark O’Reilly ruled the DCA enforcement notice was reasonable, and the Wrights did not have permission to use their property like an aircraft landing strip.
Mr O’Reilly ordered the Wrights to stop landing their choppers at their property, unless they were able to get a certificate of existing use or an exemption to the development permits.
Within five months of this ruling it was alleged Mr Wright was back to flying over his Virginia property between April 26 and May 8, 2024.
In September 2024, Mr Wright was charged with using his land in contravention of the planning scheme, and using land that contravened a permit.
On Monday Chief judge Elizabeth Morris said after more than 12-months of the criminal charge bouncing around the Darwin Local Court, it was time for it to be resolved.
Mr Wright’s Sydney-based lawyer, Laura Williams said her celebrity client was ready to enter a plea, but only wanted it resolved after his Supreme Court appeal in December.
Mr Wright was found guilty of two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following a fatal helicopter crash during a crocodile egg collecting mission that killed his mate and co-star, Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson.
In August a Territory jury found that Mr Wright lied to police about the chopper’s fuel levels and pressured his paraplegic pilot to manipulate flight logs in an attempt to cover up that the chopper was not deemed airworthy at the time of the crash on February 28, 2022.
The Netflix and Apple TV star has lodged an appeal of the verdict, with his Supreme Court hearing set for December.
Despite Ms Williams pushing for the Planning Act plea to be held in 2026, Ms Morris said there was no reason for further delay for a criminal charge that only carried a financial penalty.
Ms Morris adjourned his plea to November 21, but added that Mr Wright was not required to attend if he wished.
It is understood the Wrights sold their Virginia home in August, with the $1.39m sale securing the new owners a four-bedroom, three-bathroom modern home with a 4.5m saltie named ‘Spicy’ in the backyard.
