Pilot to give evidence in trial of crocodile wrangler
Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice for his alleged interference with an investigation into the crash.
The pilot - Sebastian Robinson - survived the accident but sustained lifelong injuries.
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Perth Now
11 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Huge claim on final pic of Netflix star: court
A paraplegic chopper crash survivor claims the last photo of Outback Wrangler star Chris 'Willow' Wilson showed they had enough fuel to return safely home. On Tuesday the sole survivor of the crash and former pilot Sebastian Robinson gave evidence in the chopper crash conspiracy trial of reality television star, Matt Wright. The Apple TV and Netflix celebrity has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. It has been alleged Mr Wright attempted to cover up a pattern of dodgy flight records for the helicopter that crashed on February 28, 2022 during a crocodile egg collecting mission. As the sole survivor of the crash, Mr Robinson said his last memory from that day was 'having a laugh' with his mate in the chopper. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia Wright approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin on Tuesday August 12. NewsWire/ Zizi Averill Credit: News Corp Australia The jury were shown a photo of Mr Wilson piloting the Robinson R-44 on that fateful trip — the image appearing to capture the fuel gauge between three-quarters and completely full mark. Mr Robinson said at that level, the helicopter should have been able to travel from Noonamah to King River and back. Yet the Robinson R-44 never returned, instead it plummeted into a croc-filled swamp in remote Arnhem Land, NT on February 28, 2022. Mr Wilson was killed instantly, while the 28-year-old Mr Robinson was left in a critical condition. The case does not allege Mr Wright was responsible for the crash. Croc egg collector Chris Wilson was killed, while his pilot Sebastian Robinson was critically injured in a helicopter crash on the King River, West Arnhem on February 28. Credit: News Corp Australia On Tuesday, Mr Robinson became emotional as he shared his next memory: waking up in a Brisbane hospital bed and being told his friend was dead and he would likely never walk again. The jury heard the young pilot's spinal cord was completely severed, 12 ribs broken and puncturing his lungs, while his neck, elbow and both ankles were fractured. The former pilot, now paraplegic admin worker, said he struggled with his long and short term memory due to a traumatic brain injury. Seb Robinson. Instagram Credit: News Corp Australia The pilot said in the wake of the catastrophic crash, the fear that he would be blamed and lose his licence 'went through my mind'. Mr Robinson admitted he initially lied to investigators, claiming the Hobbs metre was connected. 'It was pure panic. I was scared … of the potential repercussions,' he said. Over the past five days of evidence, the jury has repeatedly heard Mr Robinson had trace levels of cocaine in his system after the crash. His fellow pilot Jock Purcell agreed that Mr Robinson was a 'party animal', adding that everyone on that mission 'all enjoyed a beer and having a good time'. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia Wright approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin on Tuesday August 12. NewsWire/Zizi Averill Credit: News Corp Australia In court on Tuesday, Mr Robinson said he used cocaine 'a couple times a year' — up to 10 times over 12 months — but he denied he was a 'raging cocaine junkie'. Mr Robinson maintained he had never flown a helicopter while intoxicated, either by drugs or alcohol. Mr Wright's senior counsel David Edwardson previously said the reality television star had a 'zero tolerance' approach to drugs. Mr Edwardson has alleged that Mr Robinson was worried that the discrepancies in his own flight paperwork would be revealed, with Mr Purcell collecting his logbook from his friend's home two days after the crash. Matt Wright trial guide Mr Robinson made full admissions to the jury of his own dodgy record keeping practices, which he said were common across the Territory helicopter industry. After almost a decade in the industry, Mr Robinson alleged he had worked for two other businesses who similarly failed to properly record flight hours. Mr Robinson agreed he continued to 'break the rules' while working at Mr Wright's company, Helibrook. He said the reality television star knew it was 'very common' practice to disconnect the Hobbs Meter and to not record flight times, and Mr Wright directly benefited by skirting costly maintenance requirements. Chris 'Willow' Wilson. Credit: Supplied '(Mr Wright) would say 'pop the clock for this trip,' Mr Robinson alleged. The licenced aviation engineer said at the time of the crash he was only nominally Mr Wright's head of Helicopter Aircraft Airworthiness Maintenance Control, while the reality television star was the chief pilot. 'Matt controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Robinson said all of the Territory celebrity's employees 'absolutely' followed his directions, stating 'we were young men, we looked up to him'. 'Everyone looked at Matt as an idol. He'd say 'jump' and they'd say 'how high?',' he said. 'He had an aura about him. 'Everyone wanted to be around him, work for him, everyone bent over backwards to try and be a part of what he was doing.' Mr Robinson is expected to continue giving evidence on Wednesday.
News.com.au
11 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Crash survivor Seb Robinson claims final image of Chris ‘Willow' Wilson reveals helicopter's fuel levels
A paraplegic chopper crash survivor claims the last photo of Outback Wrangler star Chris 'Willow' Wilson showed they had enough fuel to return safely home. On Tuesday the sole survivor of the crash and former pilot Sebastian Robinson gave evidence in the chopper crash conspiracy trial of reality television star, Matt Wright. The Apple TV and Netflix celebrity has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. It has been alleged Mr Wright attempted to cover up a pattern of dodgy flight records for the helicopter that crashed on February 28, 2022 during a crocodile egg collecting mission. As the sole survivor of the crash, Mr Robinson said his last memory from that day was 'having a laugh' with his mate in the chopper. The jury were shown a photo of Mr Wilson piloting the Robinson R-44 on that fateful trip — the image appearing to capture the fuel gauge between three-quarters and completely full mark. Mr Robinson said at that level, the helicopter should have been able to travel from Noonamah to King River and back. Yet the Robinson R-44 never returned, instead it plummeted into a croc-filled swamp in remote Arnhem Land, NT on February 28, 2022. Mr Wilson was killed instantly, while the 28-year-old Mr Robinson was left in a critical condition. The case does not allege Mr Wright was responsible for the crash. On Tuesday, Mr Robinson became emotional as he shared his next memory: waking up in a Brisbane hospital bed and being told his friend was dead and he would likely never walk again. The jury heard the young pilot's spinal cord was completely severed, 12 ribs broken and puncturing his lungs, while his neck, elbow and both ankles were fractured. The former pilot, now paraplegic admin worker, said he struggled with his long and short term memory due to a traumatic brain injury. The pilot said in the wake of the catastrophic crash, the fear that he would be blamed and lose his licence 'went through my mind'. Mr Robinson admitted he initially lied to investigators, claiming the Hobbs metre was connected. 'It was pure panic. I was scared … of the potential repercussions,' he said. Over the past five days of evidence, the jury has repeatedly heard Mr Robinson had trace levels of cocaine in his system after the crash. His fellow pilot Jock Purcell agreed that Mr Robinson was a 'party animal', adding that everyone on that mission 'all enjoyed a beer and having a good time'. In court on Tuesday, Mr Robinson said he used cocaine 'a couple times a year' — up to 10 times over 12 months — but he denied he was a 'raging cocaine junkie'. Mr Robinson maintained he had never flown a helicopter while intoxicated, either by drugs or alcohol. Mr Wright's senior counsel David Edwardson previously said the reality television star had a 'zero tolerance' approach to drugs. Mr Edwardson has alleged that Mr Robinson was worried that the discrepancies in his own flight paperwork would be revealed, with Mr Purcell collecting his logbook from his friend's home two days after the crash. Mr Robinson made full admissions to the jury of his own dodgy record keeping practices, which he said were common across the Territory helicopter industry. After almost a decade in the industry, Mr Robinson alleged he had worked for two other businesses who similarly failed to properly record flight hours. Mr Robinson agreed he continued to 'break the rules' while working at Mr Wright's company, Helibrook. He said the reality television star knew it was 'very common' practice to disconnect the Hobbs Meter and to not record flight times, and Mr Wright directly benefited by skirting costly maintenance requirements. '(Mr Wright) would say 'pop the clock for this trip,' Mr Robinson alleged. The licenced aviation engineer said at the time of the crash he was only nominally Mr Wright's head of Helicopter Aircraft Airworthiness Maintenance Control, while the reality television star was the chief pilot. 'Matt controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Robinson said all of the Territory celebrity's employees 'absolutely' followed his directions, stating 'we were young men, we looked up to him'. 'Everyone looked at Matt as an idol. He'd say 'jump' and they'd say 'how high?',' he said. 'He had an aura about him. 'Everyone wanted to be around him, work for him, everyone bent over backwards to try and be a part of what he was doing.' Mr Robinson is expected to continue giving evidence on Wednesday.
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop accused of ‘hostility', blocking staff member from leaving room during ‘aggressive' meeting
Australian National University Chancellor Julie Bishop has been accused in a Senate hearing of bullying a staff member to the point of 'near suicide' following a private meeting where the former Liberal minister allegedly laughed at her and blocked her from leaving the room. In an emotional statement to a Senate committee on the quality of governance at universities, former ANU council member Liz Allen accused Ms Bishop of threatening behaviour after she was wrongly accused of leaking information about ANU's leadership to the media. Dr Allen alleged the bullying she suffered due to senior leadership, including Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell and Ms Bishop, pushed her into contemplating suicide, and senior leadership failed to support her after she suffered a miscarriage. 'ANU leaders behave with impunity, keep counsel in the dark and fail to adequately disclose conflicts,' Dr Allen told the Senate committee. 'Since 2024 I've experienced threats, intimidation and bullying because I sought greater probity of council conduct. 'I was bullied into near suicide. I miscarried a much wanted baby. I've lost the opportunity of a promotion. I fear for my job, and my career has been derailed.' Under university leadership structures, the council acts as an institution's governing body and is chaired by the chancellor. Dr Allen told the Senate committee during one council meeting in February, Ms Bishop specifically accused herself and another council member of leaking to the media – claims she rejects. 'I take my obligations extremely seriously and would never compromise my integrity,' she said. 'When I defended myself in this meeting, the chancellor suggested I defamed her. The repeated public allegations and increasing aggression was so distressing I cried and began to hyperventilate during the meeting.' She said Ms Bishop 'further berated me' and another elected council member in a private room following the meeting, in which Ms Bishop threatened a legal investigation, and said she would call 'a journalist to confirm I wasn't leaking' and blocked her from exiting the room. 'I became further distressed with the continued pursuit of false leaking allegations,' she said. 'Chancellor Bishop laughed incredulously at my emotional response, and at one point blocked me leaving the room. 'I was so distressed I couldn't breathe and struggled walking.' Dr Allen, who was pregnant at the time, told the committee the 'traumatising' meeting affected her 'so deeply' that she 'decided to kill myself' while driving home from the meeting. Two weeks later, she also suffered a miscarriage, after she was told her baby son's 'heart stopped beating'. 'I pulled over to write final goodbyes to my children and my partner. I emailed my supervisors so they knew I hadn't done anything wrong,' she said. 'A call from my husband stopped me taking my life I was pregnant at the time of these incidents.' Dr Allen told the committee 'further bullying and threats' continued after she launched a workplace complaint following the meeting, and alleged the chief people officer 'implied' she had 'mental health problems and dismissed the dysfunction of council'. She was also told by ANU Pro Chancellor Alison Kitchen that her 'position was untenable' and that she had a 'duty to resign all because I had no confidence in the council'. While Ms Bishop and Prof Bell were invited to the inquiry, they were unable to attend. ANU chief operating officer Jonathan Churchill said Ms Bishop was unable to attend the inquiry due to commitments as the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, while Prof Bell was 'on sick leave' with the flu. While he didn't make specific reference to the claims, he said 'a number of the statements' made against ANU did 'not appear to be correct'. 'We have listened carefully to the proceedings from earlier today and the allegations made against the university. We take what has been said very seriously,' he said. 'We will examine all of the statements made and respond with particularity in writing to those assertions.' He also withdrew from commenting on allegations put forward by Dr Allen, adding that it could compromise the current grievance procedure launched by Dr Allen. Prior to Mr Churchill's appearance, inquiry chair and Labor senator Leah Blythe said that should ANU's representation not be able to 'answer senators' question' the inquiry would 'reserve our right to recall those witnesses at a later date'. 'Our inquiry goes till December, so I'm sure we will be able to find a time which is suitable for all, if that is required,' she said. In a statement during questioning, Greens' higher education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said she was 'shell shocked and shaken' by Dr Allen's comments, and questioned Prof bell and Ms Bishop's future at the university.
