Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright hands himself into police

Matt Wright is expected to be charged today in relation to the February chopper crash that killed Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson.

Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright has handed himself in to Northern Territory Police.

The 43-year-old arrived at the Darwin Police Station at 2.08pm local time (4pm AEDT). Less than an hour later his two lawyers left the station, but Mr Wright remained inside.

He is expected to be charged this afternoon with at least six serious charges related to the February chopper crash that killed cast member Chris “Willow” Wilson.

The charges are expected to include perverting the course of justice, destruction of evidence, fabricating evidence, interfering with witnesses and two counts of unlawful entry.

Mr Wright is expected to face Darwin Local Court later this week.

Earlier on Tuesday, four members of Mr Wright’s entourage swung at the media as he arrived at Darwin airport.

Police have asked Sky News for their vision after a cameraman said he was assaulted in the scuffle, which occurred as Mr Wright returned to Darwin to hand himself into police after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Matt Wright arrives in Darwin flanked by security to present himself to NT Police. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The celebrity croc-wrangler touched down in Darwin at 11.35am local time after flying from Sydney this morning with his wife Kaia, their 11-day-old daughter Dusty and his lawyer David Newey from Gillis Delaney.

He was whisked into an awaiting vehicle outside the airport.

Mr Wright refused to comment when approached by media at Sydney and Darwin airports.

He looked to be on the verge of tears as he was questioned by reporters at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney about the forthcoming charges.

Exactly nine months after Wilson’s death, Northern Territory Police yesterday revealed they had issued an arrest warrant for the celebrity croc-wrangler and directed the father-of-two to hand himself in at the Darwin Police Station within 48 hours.

The charges relate to Mr Wright’s actions before and after the chopper crash that killed Wilson during a crocodile egg collection mission on February 28 and include allegations that Mr Wright tampered with evidence at the remote crash site.

Video: Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright looks anxious as he walks through the Sydney domestic airport terminal before boarding his flight to Darwin.

He is expected to face serious charges related to the February chopper crash that killed cast member Chris “Willow” Wilson. pic.twitter.com/o8HGgf7N1B

— Liam Mendes (@liammendes) November 28, 2022

Mr Wright’s spokesperson said he “strenuously denies any wrongdoing” and will be “vigorously defending the charges”.

Wilson was killed when the helicopter he was dangling from crashed on the King River in a remote part of West Arnhem Land on the last day of Darwin’s wet season.

Pilot Sebastian Robinson suffered life-threatening injuries but miraculously survived.

The R44 Raven II registered VH-IDW was operated by Mr Wright’s company Helibrook.

Wright rose to fame more than a decade ago when the reality TV series Outback Wrangler was first screened by the National Geographic Channel. The series is now viewed in more than 100 countries.

Outback Wrangler Matt Wright walks to his flight at Sydney Airport. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

This year Wright starred in a new series – Wild Croc Territory – which was broadcast on Channel 9 and is now being screened on Netflix.

The Northern Territory Government contributed $250,000 towards the production of Wild Croc Territory which it said would attract more than 200 million viewers.

A second series has already been planned for next year.

Mr Wright, who has declined multiple interview requests from The Australian, recently spoke out about the chopper crash while promoting Wild Croc Territory in the UK.

Last month he told a British newspaper Wilson’s death was “still pretty raw”.

“It’s still pretty fresh,” he told express.co.uk. “Maybe in time, you know … I’ll explain.”

Wright ‘strenuously denies wrongdoing’ over chopper crash

The Tourism Australia ­ambassador’s reality television shows – National Geographic’s Outback Wrangler and Netflix’s Wild Croc Territory – are watched in more than 130 countries and he is particularly popular in the US, where he recently appeared on the Today Show in New York holding a baby alligator.

The charges relate to Wright’s actions before and after the chopper crash that killed Wilson during a crocodile egg collection mission on February 28 and include allegations that Wright tampered with evidence at the remote crash site.

Wright’s spokesman said he “strenuously denies any wrongdoing” and would be “vigorously defending the charges”.

Wilson was killed when the helicopter he was dangling from crashed on the King River in a remote part of West Arnhem Land on the last day of Darwin’s wet season.

The 34-year-old – who starred on reality television shows Outback Wrangler, Matt Wright’s Wild Territory and Wild Croc Territory – had been strapped into a harness attached to a 30m-long line to collect crocodile eggs when the Robinson R44 collided with terrain, soon after takeoff, about 30km south of South Goulburn Island.

He left behind wife Danielle and their two young sons.

Pilot Sebastian Robinson suffered life-threatening injuries but survived.

Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson was killed in the helicopter crash

The R44 Raven II registered VH-IDW was operated by Wright’s company Helibrook.

The Australian understands the unlawful entry charges relate to Wright entering Mr Robinson’s home and his helicopter hangar without permission.

It will also be alleged that Wright twice visited Mr Robinson at a Brisbane hospital in the days following the crash and tried to get him to falsify records relating to the destroyed chopper and to delete evidence from his mobile phone.

The Australian can exclusively reveal that Wilson had snapped a photo, minutes before the fatal crash, capturing the fuel gauge which showed the chopper’s tank was almost full, and shared the image in a WhatsApp group chat.

Wilson’s mobile phone then went missing from the crash site.

It is understood Robinson and Wilson had fuelled the chopper at Noonamah before again topping up their tank at a drum site near Mount Borradaile.

The fuel gauge photo is at odds with information contained in the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s preliminary report, which revealed that investigators only drained about 250ml of blue fuel from the main tank’s bladder after the crash despite the two fuel bladder tanks still being intact.

The helicopter after the crash in remote west Arnhem Land in February.

Police will allege Wright regularly disconnected the hours meter in VH-IDW and other helicopters used by his company, and instructed other staff to do the same.

It is also understood that images provided to police by tourists who had travelled in the helicopter revealed that the chopper had been in use on days when information provided to CASA indicated it had not been flying.

Sources have told The Australian that Wright was not on the February 28 egg collection mission because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19 and therefore not permitted to enter the exclusion zone but flew to the crash site immediately after the destroyed chopper was discovered.

He flew to the scene with Darwin publican Mick Burns, who owns the crocodile egg harvesting business, and former senior NT cop Neil Mellon.

Mr Mellon has since been charged with dozens of offences including making a false statement, the destruction of evidence and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice – which carries a 15-year jail sentence – in relation to the major crash investigation.

Bush helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge – who was on the crocodile egg collection mission and landed at the scene – has been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, attempting to pervert the course of justice, destruction of evidence and providing a false statement in a statutory declaration.

Within days of Mr Mellon’s arrest, Wright relocated to the Gold Coast with his pregnant wife Kaia and their toddler. Just over a week ago the couple welcomed their second child.