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On February 28, Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson and Seb Robinson were part of a three-helicopter egg-collecting expedition (map shown) in the remote King River marshes in western Arnhem Land.
FEBRUARY 28, 2022
7:03 Pilot Seb Robinson and egg collector Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson are on one of three Robinson R44 helicopters which departed from Noonamah on a crocodile egg collection operation in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, in about 500 km from Darwin. Each helicopter has a pilot and an egg collector. They fly for 90 minutes to a barrel refueling site in the bush near Mount Borradaile.
8:30 am Helicopters fly from the refueling area to the King River staging area, 20 minutes away. Mr Wilson reportedly shared a photo of the fuel gauge showing it was almost full to their shared WhatsApp group.
Around 9 a.m. Choppers split up to go to their different egg collection areas. Two headed 12 km northeast and collected eggs from nine nests between 0911 and 1014.
10:14 a.m. The other two crew realize they haven’t heard from Robinson and Wilson and Chief Helicopter Pilot – and Director of Remote Helicopters Australia – Michael Burbridge, 44, sets out to find them.
10:36 He finds the wreckage of their helicopter, 30 km south of South Goulburn Island. Mr Wilson, 34, died 40m from the wreckage and Mr Robinson, 28, suffered serious spinal injuries on the ground alongside the plane. Their helicopter collided with trees and terrain. The second helicopter leaves briefly to establish radio contact and give the alert.
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright reportedly traveled to the crash site with Police Sergeant Neil Mellon and Darwin publican and crocodile breeder Mick Burns. Mr. Burns has not been charged with any offence.
The helicopter (pictured) was found upright but badly damaged. Nearby trees showed signs of damage from its rotors, but there was no fire at the scene
12:30 p.m. A CareFlight helicopter arrives on scene and transports the pilot to Maningrida, where he is flown to Darwin.
APRIL 19, 2022: The Australian Transport Safety Board has published its initial findings on the accident, with the full report due in the first quarter of 2023. It finds that the helicopter’s engine stopped before it touched down. Only 250ml of fuel remained in the fuel bladders which were both intact, but the report notes that the fuel may have leaked into a nearby stream as the fuel system was damaged in the crash . There were no other obvious signs of mechanical failure and no fires at the scene.
AUGUST 25, 2022: Father-of-three Neil Mellon, 47, was arrested shortly after arriving to work at Darwin Police Station. Police raid his home and reportedly find illegal wildlife, fireworks and guns.
AUGUST 26, 2022: Mellon is charged with 31 offenses including attempting to pervert the course of justice and theft and unlawful access to data. His charges also relate to weapons, firearms and wildlife offenses, as well as the alleged destruction of evidence in connection with a major accident investigation.
Later the same day, his wife Sandi, also a serving police officer in the Northern Territories, posted unrelated accusations on Facebook about a former close friend, which were later deleted.
Mellon has since reportedly resigned from the force after 27 years of service.
SEPTEMBER 2022: Outback Wrangler and father of four Matt Wright, 43, is moving with his pregnant wife Kaia from Darwin to the Gold Coast in Queensland.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022: Helicopter pilot Michael Burbridge – who was the first on the scene of the tragedy – is charged in connection with the accident. He is charged with destruction of evidence, conspiracy and attempted perversion of the course of justice, and misrepresentation.
NOVEMBER 28, 2022: NT Police issue a warrant for Wright’s arrest and he is told to report to Darwin Police Station within 48 hours to face at least six serious charges relating to the crash. They relate to his actions before and after the crash and allege he tampered with evidence.
NOVEMBER 29, 2022: Wright checks in for an 8.15am flight from Sydney to Darwin with his wife and their newborn daughter Dusty. He was charged in the afternoon with a series of offenses related to the helicopter crash.
NOVEMBER 30, 2022: Wright is appearing in court in Darwin on seven counts related to the crash which he strenuously denies and is released on bail until next court appearance on January 25, 2023.
Wright is charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence, unlawfully entering a building, unlawfully entering a dwelling, making a false statement and interfering with witnesses in a criminal investigation or legal proceeding by threatening/retaliating.