Cast member of the show Outback Wrangler on the National Geographic network, Chris Wilson, has died after his helicopter crashed in an isolated location of the Northern Territory of Australia Monday night. He was 34.
Wilson was often seen traveling through the remote area in the show hosted by his colleague, Australian TV Host Matt Wright.
The Fordham Company, which produces Outback Wrangler, has released a statement to confirm the devastating tragedy, Australia’s ABC News reports.
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“Matt Wright, his family and team are absolutely devastated by the tragic accident yesterday in Arnhem Land,” the statement read. “[They] are heartbroken by the loss of their best friend and highly respected colleague Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson.”
The statement continued, “Our love and thoughts are with Chris’s 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.”
On Monday, Australian police were alerted of the aircraft crash shortly before 11 a.m., according to ABC News. The closest officers from Goulburn Islands were dispatched to the site on King River immediately following the report. It took several hours by boat to arrive at the location, the outlet reports.
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Police confirmed the death of Wilson upon their arrival in the evening. However, his 28-year-old travel partner, who survived the incident, was transported to Royal Darwin Hospital and later airlifted to Brisbane in critical condition on Tuesday morning, according to the outlet.
Outback Wrangler is a show that documented Wright, Wilson, and another cast member navigating their ways into the deep end of the country’s Northern Territory via helicopters, airboats, and other adventurous vehicles where they often interact with and discover saltwater crocodiles.
In 2020, Wilson and Wright had traveled as far as Indonesia to assist local authorities in removing a tire stuck around the neck of a 4-meter crocodile.
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The passing of Wilson, who is described as a “crocodile wrangler” and “outback adventurer” on his Instagram page, was mourned by other local media industry members, including David Connolly, the general manager of the Tipperary Group of Stations.
“We lost a great man and a good friend in Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson yesterday in a Heli accident. Our thoughts are with his young family,” Connolly wrote on his Twitter account. “Willow was a born and bred Territorian and drove and chased and caught most things possible. Its so sad….”
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, investigations into the crash are still underway.
Wilson is survived by his wife Danielle and his two sons, Ted and Austin.
