Outback Wrangler is sued as widow of Netflix star killed in chopper crash launches legal action against his helicopter company
- The widow of the crocodile egg collector initiates legal action
- Danielle Wilson is suing Matt Wright's company and CASA
- Chris Wilson died when Wright's helicopter crashed into the swamp
- READ MORE: A look into the life of the Outback Wrangler
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright's helicopter company is being sued by the widow of alligator egg collector Chris Wilson over the helicopter crash that killed him.
Father-of-two Wilson, 34, died in February 2022 after plunging into crocodile-infested swamps while dangling 30 meters below one of Wright's helicopters when it ran out of fuel and fell from the sky.
Now Wilson's wife Danielle, 34, has filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court, suing Wright's helicopter charter company Helibrook and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
She seeks damages, interest, costs, interest on costs and 'any other sentence the court deems appropriate', The Australian reports.
An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that Wilson died when helicopter pilot Seb Robinson disconnected Wilson's lifeline, causing him to plummet 9 meters to his death as the pilot fought for control of the plane.
Chris 'Willow' Wilson's heartbroken wife, Danielle, 34, (pictured together) has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court, filing a lawsuit against Wright's helicopter charter company Helibrook and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority
An ATSB investigation found that Matt Wright's Helibrook company had been given permission by CASA to fly helicopters while the daredevil egg collectors dangled in the sky below as the plane flew high above the 10-metre canopy (pictured, Wright with wife Kaia and son Banjo)
The ATSB probe found it was 'likely' that the helicopter had not been refueled as planned during a stopover a few minutes earlier and had run out of fuel, causing it to crash in remote western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory during an egg collection mission .
Mr Robinson suffered life-changing spinal injuries in the crash and spent months recovering in hospital, but survived the tragic accident.
The ATSB investigation also found traces of cocaine use in Mr Robinson's blood and that he had partied until the early hours of the day before the crash.
But it also found flaws in safety procedures at Wright's Helibrook business, which had been put in place by CASA.
The company had been given permission to fly helicopters as the daredevil egg collectors dangled in the air as the plane flew high above the 30-foot canopy.
The regulations initially only allowed egg collectors to be 3 meters above ground and vegetation, but that was interpreted by Helibrook and authorized by CASA to also mean 3 meters above treetops if necessary.
“The ATSB found that Helibrook's CASA-approved safety management system was not used to systematically identify and manage operational hazards,” the 113-page ATSB report said.
'As a result, the risks inherent in conducting human sling operations, such as transporting the egg collector above a survivable drop height, were not adequately addressed.'
Father-of-two Chris Wilson, 34, (pictured) died in February 2022 after plunging into crocodile-infested swamps while dangling 30 meters below one of Wright's helicopters when it ran out of fuel and fell from the sky
Police allege Wright flew to the site with two others and interfered with evidence at the crash site (pictured) in an attempt to pervert the course of justice
It claimed that CASA had not carried out any risk assessment of the egg collection operation in the 15 years it had worked with Helibrook.
Father-of-two Wright, 44, is due to appear in Darwin Local Court on Thursday for a hearing on charges related to his involvement in the plane crash investigation.
Police allege Wright flew to the location with two others and interfered with evidence at the crash site in an attempt to pervert the course of justice
He faces a prison sentence of up to 15 years on charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence, unlawfully entering a building, unlawfully entering a dwelling, making a false statement and obstructing witnesses in a criminal investigation or legal proceedings. by issuing threats/retaliations.
A spokesman for Matt Wright declined to comment on Ms Wilson's new legal action.