A bush pilot has told a court he disposed of reality TV star Chris 'Willow' Wilson's mobile phone following a fatal helicopter crash in the Northern Territory. Michael Burbidge, director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at the trial of Matt Wright, star of 'Outback Wrangler', in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
Burbidge testified he was first at the crash scene on 28 February 2022, where Wilson was killed and pilot Sebastian Robinson was critically injured. He said he was given Wilson's phone by former police officer Neil Mellon and remarked, 'Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone,' referring to Wilson's partner. Burbidge later pleaded guilty to disposing of the phone and was fined.
The prosecution alleges Wright wanted to inspect the helicopter's console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected, as part of a practice of falsifying logbooks to extend flying hours. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Burbidge told the court he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed helicopter's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright. He also said he had heard of disconnecting Hobbs meters but did not do so himself. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call where Burbidge discussed rumours about logbook entries.
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC argued that disconnecting Hobbs meters was common practice in the Northern Territory helicopter industry, but Wright 'emphatically denied' the allegations. The trial before Acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to last up to five weeks.
