An Australian man has been arrested over a helicopter crash that killed Chris Wilson, who was a cast member of National Geographic’s Outback Wrangler TV show.
Wilson was killed on February 28th when he was hanging out of a helicopter in the NT outback and it crashed into a swamp. The TV star was attached by a harness to the aircraft so that he could harvest eggs from crocodile nests in hard-to-access areas.
The 34-year-old’s body was found 40 metres from the main wreckage site according to a preliminary Air Transport Safety Bureau that was released in April.
Northern Territory police have confirmed that they have arrested a 44-year-old who is currently assisting police with inquiries but said that the man has not been charged.
Wilson regularly starred in National Geographic’s Outback Wrangler TV show. At the time of his death, producer of Outback Wrangler, The Fordham Company, released a statement confirming the sad news.
‘Matt Wright, his family and team are absolutely devastated by the tragic accident yesterday in Arnhem Land. [They] are heartbroken by the loss of their best friend and highly respected colleague Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson,” the statement began.
It continued, “Our love and thoughts are with Chris’ wife Danielle and two little boys Ted and Austin. Matt Wright and his team are assisting authorities with their investigations as to what caused this awful incident.”
According to a preliminary ATSB analysis of the site, the accident happened when the helicopter’s main rotor blade struck and cut through a tree trunk multiple times. It also indicated that the helicopter’s engine stopped before the aircraft hit the ground. However, an examination has since found no visible damage to the helicopter’s tail rotor blades and drive system and no defects likely to cause the engine to stop.
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