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Australia's aviation authority has confirmed its investigation into the chopper crash that killed crocodile wrangler Chris 'Willow' Wilson has been upgraded, with the release of its findings delayed by months.
Key points:
- The ATSB originally anticipated the release of findings in late 2022
- Its investigation coincides with multiple court cases relating to the crash, including one involving celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright
- Mr Wright "strenuously denies" any wrongdoing in relation to the crash
Mr Wilson, 34, a key cast member in the Netflix series Wild Croc Territory, was killed in a helicopter crash while collecting crocodile eggs in a remote part of the Northern Territory's Top End last February.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said in late 2022 that it anticipated the "publication of the investigation report" into Mr Wilson's crash by the end of the year.
The ATSB has now revised that date, saying the report will not be finalised until at least April 2023.
Since the crash, a number of high-profile NT residents have been arrested in relation to the matter, including the main star of Wild Croc Territory, celebrity crocodile wrangler, Matt Wright.
Mr Wright faces a string of charges, including attempting to pervert the course of justice, destruction of evidence, fabricating evidence, interfering with witnesses and unlawful entry.
He was charged in November last year and "strenuously denies" any wrongdoing.
The police investigation into the crash has also seen charges levelled against chopper pilot and fellow former co-star Michael Burbidge, and former high-ranking NT police officer, Neil Mellon.
Transport bureau upgrades investigation
The date of release for the ATSB report has been pushed back, the authority confirmed, due to the investigation being "upgraded to a systemic level investigation".
A systemic response is the ATSB's second highest level of investigation, topped only by a "major investigation" which would potentially involve a "large number of casualties".
An ATSB spokesman said the authority could not go into specifics on why the investigation had been upgraded as it was still ongoing, but said investigations were upgraded to systemic "when they are expanded to consider factors relating to organisations, processes, systems, cultures" and more.
A description on the ATSB's website said systemic investigations "have a broad scope and involve a significant effort collecting evidence across many areas".
"The breadth of the investigation will often cover multiple organisations," the description said.
"Occurrences and sets of transport safety occurrences investigated normally involve very complex systems and processes."
Early ATSB findings released last year into the crash that killed Mr Wilson indicated the aircraft's engine had stopped before the chopper hit the ground.
The bureau's initial report said the aircraft was one of three Robinson R44 helicopters conducting crocodile egg collection in the area, where a "sling person" is strapped into a harness attached to a 30-metre long line to access crocodile nests.
The court cases related to the crash, while still unfolding, have surrounded the possible tampering with evidence at the scene of the incident.
In October 2022, Crown prosecutor Steve Ledek told Darwin Local Court there was an "overall matrix of individuals who have come together and [allegedly] done things to obfuscate and to impede a proper investigation into the circumstances of that fatality".
The cases are all currently progressing through the Darwin courts.