Pilot of a cessna 152 reports exceeding an inspection time limit during a pleasure cross country fli...

Narrative:

I had not been flying for almost 3 yrs and I came back to the united states to take a biennial flight review with a certified flight instructor, and fly many hours for pleasure. I rented a cessna 152 with only 3.3 hours of tach time left and decided to plan a cross country from phf to W45 located at 140 NM to the northwest. After computing, I found IH30 of ete to my destination. At about 3/4 of my way, my ete was already up and I knew I could not reach my destination without exceeding the tach limit. Then I decided to land at gve which was the nearest airport. After landing, I could not refuel because the FBO was closed, so I just called the FSS to close my flight plan. I checked my sectional to find once more the nearest airport from gve on the way back with a fuel service provided. I took off and went to lku, 10 NM southeast, but once I got over the airport, I saw the runway was closed with people working on it. I kept flying on the same heading to reach the next airport, 7w4, 10 NM southeast, but a few mins later I realized that I could not get fuel there because this airport did not provide this service. Then I became concerned with the 2 hours of flight time I had on my clock. After checking my sectional, I saw that there were not that many refueling points in this area and I thought it was safer for me to go back to cho where I was sure I could refuel (regardless to the tach time). Once I landed there, I had 6.9 gals remaining in the tanks which means that I could have flown about half an hour regarding to the last 30 mins of VFR fuel requirement. But while airborne, it was sincerely hard for me to check out precisely how much fuel was remaining in the tanks. Besides that, I had 1 hour left in the tach. But I decided to fly back to newport news. If I had not experienced this delay, I would have not overtimed this cross country. Because I was not very familiar with the FAA regulation concerning the aircraft's inspection due, I took the decision to make a no stop flight to newport news and I ran 0.5 hour over the tach time limit.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A CESSNA 152 RPTS EXCEEDING AN INSPECTION TIME LIMIT DURING A PLEASURE XCOUNTRY FLT THAT HAD BEEN PLANNED TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE INSPECTION TIME LIMITS.

Narrative: I HAD NOT BEEN FLYING FOR ALMOST 3 YRS AND I CAME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES TO TAKE A BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW WITH A CERTIFIED FLT INSTRUCTOR, AND FLY MANY HRS FOR PLEASURE. I RENTED A CESSNA 152 WITH ONLY 3.3 HRS OF TACH TIME LEFT AND DECIDED TO PLAN A XCOUNTRY FROM PHF TO W45 LOCATED AT 140 NM TO THE NW. AFTER COMPUTING, I FOUND IH30 OF ETE TO MY DEST. AT ABOUT 3/4 OF MY WAY, MY ETE WAS ALREADY UP AND I KNEW I COULD NOT REACH MY DEST WITHOUT EXCEEDING THE TACH LIMIT. THEN I DECIDED TO LAND AT GVE WHICH WAS THE NEAREST ARPT. AFTER LNDG, I COULD NOT REFUEL BECAUSE THE FBO WAS CLOSED, SO I JUST CALLED THE FSS TO CLOSE MY FLT PLAN. I CHKED MY SECTIONAL TO FIND ONCE MORE THE NEAREST ARPT FROM GVE ON THE WAY BACK WITH A FUEL SVC PROVIDED. I TOOK OFF AND WENT TO LKU, 10 NM SE, BUT ONCE I GOT OVER THE ARPT, I SAW THE RWY WAS CLOSED WITH PEOPLE WORKING ON IT. I KEPT FLYING ON THE SAME HEADING TO REACH THE NEXT ARPT, 7W4, 10 NM SE, BUT A FEW MINS LATER I REALIZED THAT I COULD NOT GET FUEL THERE BECAUSE THIS ARPT DID NOT PROVIDE THIS SVC. THEN I BECAME CONCERNED WITH THE 2 HRS OF FLT TIME I HAD ON MY CLOCK. AFTER CHKING MY SECTIONAL, I SAW THAT THERE WERE NOT THAT MANY REFUELING POINTS IN THIS AREA AND I THOUGHT IT WAS SAFER FOR ME TO GO BACK TO CHO WHERE I WAS SURE I COULD REFUEL (REGARDLESS TO THE TACH TIME). ONCE I LANDED THERE, I HAD 6.9 GALS REMAINING IN THE TANKS WHICH MEANS THAT I COULD HAVE FLOWN ABOUT HALF AN HR REGARDING TO THE LAST 30 MINS OF VFR FUEL REQUIREMENT. BUT WHILE AIRBORNE, IT WAS SINCERELY HARD FOR ME TO CHK OUT PRECISELY HOW MUCH FUEL WAS REMAINING IN THE TANKS. BESIDES THAT, I HAD 1 HR LEFT IN THE TACH. BUT I DECIDED TO FLY BACK TO NEWPORT NEWS. IF I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THIS DELAY, I WOULD HAVE NOT OVERTIMED THIS XCOUNTRY. BECAUSE I WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FAA REG CONCERNING THE ACFT'S INSPECTION DUE, I TOOK THE DECISION TO MAKE A NO STOP FLT TO NEWPORT NEWS AND I RAN 0.5 HR OVER THE TACH TIME LIMIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	345770
Time
Date	199608
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : phf
State Reference	VA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Cessna 152
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : preflight other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	other other : other pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 12 flight time total : 263 flight time type : 249
ASRS Report	345770
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Pilot of a cessna 152 reports exceeding an inspection time limit during a pleasure cross country flight that had been planned to be completed within the inspection time limits.