'Felt like forever': pilot details crash scene at trial

The Advertiser

3 days ago

A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson.
Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected.
It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases.
Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic.
Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death.
Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper.
He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured.
He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever".
Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun.
Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson.
He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home.
Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty.
He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright.
He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice.
The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again".
Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right.
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry.
The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said.
Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected.
Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him.
The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that.
"I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said.
Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release.
The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson.
Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected.
It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases.
Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic.
Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death.
Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper.
He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured.
He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever".
Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun.
Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson.
He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home.
Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty.
He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright.
He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice.
The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again".
Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right.
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry.
The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said.
Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected.
Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him.
The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that.
"I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said.
Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release.
The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson.
Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected.
It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases.
Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic.
Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death.
Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper.
He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured.
He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever".
Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun.
Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson.
He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home.
Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty.
He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright.
He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice.
The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again".
Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right.
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry.
The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said.
Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected.
Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him.
The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that.
"I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said.
Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release.
The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson.
Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected.
It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases.
Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic.
Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death.
Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper.
He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured.
He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever".
Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun.
Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson.
He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home.
Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty.
He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright.
He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice.
The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again".
Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right.
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry.
The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said.
Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected.
Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him.
The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that.
"I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said.
Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release.
The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.