Crocodile egg hunter dangling from helicopter died after chopper ran out of fuel, investigation finds

An Australian crocodile egg hunter was killed after the helicopter he was dangling from ran out of fuel mid-flight, accident investigators said this week.

The pilot of the Robinson R44 helicopter took cocaine in the days before the February 2022 accident, and likely failed to refuel as planned during the Northern Territory outing, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in its final report.

The crocodile egg collector, "Outback Wrangler" television series personality Chris Wilson, had been attached to the helicopter from a 100-foot line when disaster struck, it said.