Overview

• Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice stemming from actions after a 2022 helicopter crash that killed Chris “Willow” Wilson and left pilot Sebastian Robinson paraplegic.
• Prosecutors say Wright lied about fuel levels, urged the pilot to falsify flight hours, and asked an associate to burn the maintenance release, alleging a broader practice of disconnecting Hobbs meters to dodge a 2,200‑hour overhaul costing up to $500,000.
• Covert recordings played in court captured Wright expressing urgency to check the crashed helicopter’s Hobbs meter and giving conflicting accounts about fuel, which the Crown argues show cool, premeditated efforts to hinder investigators.
• The defence told jurors there is no evidence Wright believed he would be blamed, attacked Robinson’s credibility, alleged collusion by his family, and highlighted the ATSB finding of fuel exhaustion as the crash cause and the pilot’s refuelling responsibility.
• The judge instructed the panel to disregard emotion and external media, and the jury has begun deliberations after closing submissions, with timing left open if verdicts are not reached promptly.