On 28 February, Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson and Seb Robinson were part of a three-helicopter egg collecting expedition (map pictured) to the remote King River Marshes in West Arnhem Land.
FEBRUARY 28, 2022
7:03 a.m. Pilot Seb Robinson and egg collector Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson are in one of three Robinson R44 helicopters that departed from Noonamah on a crocodile egg collection operation in West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, about 500 km from Darwin. Each helicopter has a pilot and an egg collector. They fly for 90 minutes to a refueling site in the bush near Mount Borradaile.
8.30am Helicopters fly from the Drums refueling area to the King River parking area, 20 minutes away. Wilson allegedly shares an image of the fuel gauge showing it was almost full on his shared WhatsApp group.
Around 9 a.m. The helicopters split up to go to their different egg collection areas. Two headed 12 km northeast and collected eggs from nine nests between 09:11 and 10:14.
10:14 The other two crews realize they haven’t heard from Robinson and Wilson and chief helicopter pilot (and director of Remote Helicopters Australia), 44-year-old Michael Burbidge, goes to find them.
10.36am He finds the wreckage of his helicopter, 30 kilometers south of South Goulburn Island. Wilson, 34, is dead 40 meters from the wreckage and Robinson, 28, is seriously injured with spinal injuries on the ground next to the plane. His helicopter crashed into trees and terrain. The second helicopter takes off again briefly to establish radio contact and raise the alarm.
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright allegedly flies to the crash scene with off-duty police sergeant Neil Mellon and Darwin publican and crocodile farmer Mick Burns. Mr. Burns has not been charged with any crime.
The helicopter (pictured) was found upright but badly damaged. Nearby trees showed signs of having been damaged by their rotors, but there was no fire at the site.
12:30 p.m. A CareFlight helicopter arrives on scene and transports the pilot to Maningrida, where he was airlifted to Darwin.
APRIL 19, 2022: The Australian Transport Safety Bureau releases its initial findings into the crash, with the full report expected in the first quarter of 2023. It finds that the helicopter’s engine stopped before impacting the ground. There was only 250 ml of fuel in the fuel bladders, both intact, but the report notes that the fuel may have drained into a nearby stream as the fuel system was damaged in the accident. There were no other obvious signs of mechanical failure or fire at the scene.
AUGUST 25, 2022: Neil Mellon, a 47-year-old father-of-three, is arrested shortly after arriving for work at Darwin Police Station. Police raid his home and allegedly find illegal wildlife, fireworks and firearms.
AUGUST 26, 2022: Mellon is charged with 31 offences, including attempting to pervert the course of justice and theft and unlawful access to data. His charges also relate to weapons, firearms and wildlife crimes, as well as the alleged destruction of evidence in connection with a major accident investigation.
Later that day, his wife Sandi, also a serving NT police officer, posts allegations on Facebook, unrelated to the accident, about a former close friend that were later deleted.
It is understood Mellon resigned from the police 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 to arrive at the scene of the tragedy, is charged in connection with the crash. He is charged with destruction of evidence, conspiracy, attempting to pervert the course of justice and providing a false statement.
NOVEMBER 28, 2022: NT Police issue an arrest warrant for Wright and tell him to report to Darwin police station within 48 hours to face at least six serious charges related to the crash. They relate to his actions before and after the accident and allege that he tampered with the evidence.
NOVEMBER 29, 2022: Wright checks in for an 8.15am flight from Sydney to Darwin with his wife and newborn daughter Dusty. In the afternoon he is charged with a series of crimes in connection with the helicopter crash.
NOVEMBER 30, 2022: Wright appears at Darwin Court on seven charges relating to the crash which he strenuously denies and is granted bail until his 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 judicial proceeding through threats/retaliation. .
NOVEMBER 22, 2023: The Air Transportation Safety Office believes the crash “probably” occurred when the helicopter ran out of fuel and Chris Wilson died from multiple injuries when the pilot dropped him from a survivable height as he dangled below the helicopter.
DECEMBER 7, 2023: Wright, Mellon and Burbidge will face court over a preliminary examination application in Darwin. If the application is unsuccessful, the trio will return to court on December 8 for a preliminary examination (on the documents). However, if the application is successful, a new court date will be set, probably next year, for a preliminary (oral) examination.