Total power loss - Cessna 206, VH-SHZ, 93 km south-east of Kalumburu Airport, Western Australia, on 22 September 2011

On 22 September 2011, at about 1317 hours Western Standard Time (WST), a Cessna Aircraft model U206G (C206), registered VH-SHZ, departed Kalumburru Aerodrome, Western Australia (WA) with the pilot and six passengers on the return leg of a charter flight returning to Wyndham, WA. Following climb-out and in level flight at 5,500 ft above mean sea level (AMSL), the engine shutdown without warning. At the time of the engine shutdown, the right-wing fuel tank was selected and the right fuel quantity gauge indicated less that ¼ tank.

The pilot actioned emergency procedures including switching fuel tanks, and, at about 2,000 ft above mean sea level, the engine restarted. The flight continued on uneventfully and the aircraft landed at Wyndham. Post-flight inspection revealed that the pilot had not properly secured the right-wing fuel tank filler cap following refuelling that morning, resulting in fuel venting from the right tank.