“Empire In Ashes!”: Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright leaves millions of fans completely paralyzed with shock after revealing his shattering, crippling financial ruin as the fatal chopper crash probe is suddenly and ruthlessly shut down
The official police investigation into the helicopter crash that killed reality TV star Matt Wright’s good mate Chris Wilson has been officially shut down — with no finding on what actually caused the fatal downing.
The bombshell development comes as Wright exclusively reveals he has been forced to abandon the appeal against his criminal convictions due to the crippling financial ruin of the case, having already burnt through a staggering $2 million fighting the legal system.
Wright revealed he will represent himself in the upcoming civil case where he is being sued by the wife of Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson over her husband’s death.
The Wrights, industry veterans, and the broken brotherhood of Top End chopper pilots have told the news.com.au documentary Outback Wrangler: Search for Answers, that a coronial inquiry is needed to get all the evidence out in the open.
Wilson plunged to his death in West Arnhem Land in February 2022 while dangling from a helicopter during an egg collecting mission. The pilot, Sebastian Robinson, was seriously and permanently injured.
Wright, who owned the chopper, veteran pilot Michael Burbidge – who was first on the scene – and former police officer Neil Mellon, were all charged over their actions in the aftermath of the crash.
Burbidge, who was first at the horrific scene, said: “I believe if you’re investigating something, you should investigate it with both eyes open and follow it all the way down whatever rabbit hole you think it may go. It’s just what Christopher would want.”
Wright’s wife Kaia said: “What was meant to be an investigation into the cause of the crash turned into an investigation into Matt Wright that provided no answers to the cause of the crash.
“It’s not a want for anyone else to suffer; it’s actually a want for the truth to be out there.”
The Wrights claim the Northern Territory Police pivoted, abandoning the search for why the chopper fell from the sky to focus exclusively on what happened in the chaotic aftermath.
The Northern Territory Police Force has confirmed to news.com.au that their criminal investigation into the crash is officially closed, and a brief has been supplied to the NT Coroner.
However the NT courts confirmed this week that no decision has been made on whether or not a public coronial inquest will even be held.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau conducted a forensic investigation, determining the helicopter likely suffered mid-flight fuel exhaustion.
However, strict federal aviation laws dictate that the safety watchdog’s findings are strictly “no-blame”, meaning the forensic report was legally barred from being used to determine liability or prosecution in the criminal trials.
For industry veterans, a public coronial inquiry is now the single remaining hope for answers, because the Coroner’s Court operates under entirely different evidentiary rules – meaning the ATSB report can be laid on the table.
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While ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell remains steadfast outside of court that the technical evidence points “very much to the conclusion that it had suffered fuel exhaustion”, the criminal prosecution proceeded down a different path based on evidence allowed at trial.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC submitted to the jury that they should be “comfortably satisfied” the aircraft did not run out of fuel, arguing that even on a single tank, the chopper “would have got to the crash site every day of the week with fuel to spare”.
Acting Chief Justice Alan Blow said that for sentencing purposes: “I believe that the true situation was that there was fuel in the tank when the helicopter’s engine stopped”.
This leaves a paradox where the official, scientific cause of the crash remains in conflict with the findings of the criminal court, yet the active police probe is finished.
“The police or the DPP are taking the stance that the ATSB report is somehow incorrect,” Burbidge says. “If that’s the case and it’s incorrect … well, tell me what it is, because I want to know what killed my mate. It’s not about Matt Wright. I want to know what happened to Christopher. It’s that simple.”
The financial toll of the targeted focus has ultimately broken the reality icon’s ability to fight his own convictions.
Wright, who served five months behind bars for attempting to pervert the course of justice confirmed the multimillion-dollar strain has left him unable to continue with his appeal.
He will represent himself in the upcoming five-week civil proceedings brough by Wilson’s wife over the egg-collector’s death. Wilson is also suing the Civil Aviation Authority and Wright’s now insolvent company Helibrook.
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For the Wrights, the end of the criminal trial was meant to be the start of a quest for accountability.
“Now the trial’s done, Matt’s served his time,” Kaia says. “I’ve had this desire just to go bull at a gate — let’s get the truth out. I wanted to just sort of bring everything that we had to light, get answers. But it is extremely frustrating, wanting to bring the truth to light, when I’m told we’re not allowed to share it in the public domain.”
The family reveals they are sitting on a trove of other documents and information obtained during the trial that they want to use to get answers, but they are legally blocked from sharing it.
“So it’s like, you feel like you’re back at square one.”
Former egg collector and close friend of Wilson, Mick Jakaobi, insists that since the surviving pilot has no memory of the impact, the safety watchdog’s sidelined data must be brought into the light.
“If he can’t tell us, and no one else was there, Willow can’t tell us,” Jakobi said. “The next best thing we’ve got to go on is the ATSB report.”
For industry legends who built the Top End’s lucrative crocodile egg-collecting trade, a public coroner’s court is the only mechanism left to force authorities to answer why critical leads were ignored.
“I want to know. Willow’s parents want to know,” warns cattle and aviation baron Milton Jones. “I do follow it and this has not been done right. Yeah. Far from being right.”
For Kaia Wright, the ongoing refusal of authorities to provide clear answers has left the family feeling entirely isolated in their push for transparency.
“Every time we talk about this, you know there’s keyboard warriors out there saying ‘stop deflecting’ … I can’t stress enough that I don’t want any more blood or any more hurt from this. I just want an answer as to why. Privately give us an answer. Please stop ignoring us.”