Outback Wrangler Matt Wright reveals what happened at helicopter crash scene ... trends now

Outback Wrangler Matt Wright has sensationally claimed he covered his friend's dead body while waiting for a rescue chopper to evacuate them after his co-star died in a horror helicopter smash.  

Nine months later, 43-year-old Wright was hit with a range of charges relating to the smash - including destroying evidence and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Chris Wilson, 34, was collecting crocodile eggs in a remote area of West Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, when the chopper he was dangling 30 metres from collided with trees and the ground on February 28 last year.

An investigation was launched into the crash, resulting in Wright, former police officer Neil Mellon, and bush pilot Michael Burbidge being charged in relation to the incident.

The reality TV star has remained silent about the smash since he appeared in Darwin Local Court on November 28 - however, he spoke candidly about the smash on The Bailey Show podcast.

The US-based podcast was recorded in October - before Wright was charged - to promote his new Netflix series Wild Croc Territory, but the interview was only released last month.

In the show, Wright alleged to host Jason Bailey: 'We had to cover his body and load him into the flight, into the rescue chopper and stuff.'

He explained the police investigation was because Mellon, a former police officer who allegedly went to the site with Wright, 'probably do exactly what cops were meant to do and it was in the middle of the bush'.

'Other cops weren't there so they're trying to work out what was going on,' he said.

Wright explained he didn't know what the correct police protocols were at a crash site, and described it as a 'learning' process.

'We're learning a lot through this,' he said.

'What you can do and what you can't do in an accident site and, unfortunately, probably some of the stuff that we did at the site wasn't in protocol to what the police would have wanted us to do and that's what they're looking into.'

Wright said the situation was 'pretty sh*tty' because it was hard to grieve Mr Wilson while police were investigating. 

'It's ongoing investigations, you know, it will take its course over time and the cops will get what they want to get and we'll move.'

He said the crash was difficult for him to talk about because Wilson had a wife and kids.

On the day of the crash, three choppers set off from Noonamah at around 7am for a crocodile egg collection operation in West Arnhem Land.

After stopping to re-fuel at about 8.30am, the crew flew to a staging area in King River, and at 9am, two of the three helicopters, carrying Mr Burbidge and Ty Richardson, and Jock Purcell and Tim Luck, left to begin collecting eggs 12km away.

The third chopper was carrying Mr Wilson and his pilot Sebastian Robinson, who instead began their operation at a nearby nest. 

It wasn't until just after 10am when the two other crews were having morning tea that they began to wonder about Mr Wilson and Mr Robinson.

Burbidge then returned to look for them alone and found the wreckage of the aircraft and Mr Wilson's body lying 40m away, while the pilot was critically injured.

Burbidge is then understood to have left the scene to get reception and call for help, before returning to the site of the crash with Mr Richardson, Mr Purcell and Mr Luck.

CareFlight arrived at the crash site at 12.30pm and airlifted Mr Robinson to hospital.

About 10 minutes later, police officer Neil Mellon, Wright and crocodile farmer Mick Burns arrived at the scene.

The group of seven stayed with Mr Wilson's body until Careflight returned at 4pm to retrieve it.

They then flew to Mr Wilson's property to console his wife, who was already surrounded by their own wives.

In the wake of the crash that stunned fans of the National Geographic show, Wright, Mellon and Burbidge were hit with a string of charges.