Umm.. wrote on Aug 9, 2008 11:52 PM:Two and a half hours from SLC? In a 152? Whats it got, a turbo in it? I couldn't even get to Las Vegas in 2.5 hours in a 152 from Palomar plus a fuel stop was needed. D'oh! SLC is twice as far. Somethings not adding up here.

Umm.. wrote on Aug 10, 2008 1:23 AM:521nm to SLC International. A 200+ kt. 152, wow! Thats a *fast* airplane! Sounds like two pilots both need remedial training.

Bill wrote on Aug 10, 2008 7:51 AM:If this was a Cessna 152, its cruising speed is 110 knots, max, according to the Web site of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The distance between Oceanside and Salt Lake City is 1160 kilometers.

Therefore, in order for that Cessna 152 to make that trip in 2.5 hours, as your article states in the second paragraph, it would have to cruise at 464 knots.

Take a picture of that airplane. It's the fastest Cessna 152 on record!

Tim wrote on Aug 10, 2008 9:04 AM:That's the new turbo bio-diesel 152. I've seen them. They're really incredible.

Next they're going to tell us the plane "stalled" ;-)

Umm.. wrote on Aug 10, 2008 10:13 AM:A little research with the tail # and it's determined that they left SLC International at 2:49PM MDT and arrived at Mesquite, NV at 5:52PM PDT.

Lets presume a fuel stop. That makes a fast turn around a 6:30 PM PDT departure at the latest- there's not really much going on in Mesquite. I've landed and filled a C172 and been back in the air in 25 minutes. They got to Oceanside at about 08:30ish local time.

A flight from SLC to OKB should have had three fuel stops. As it stands, SLC to 67L (Mesquite) is 256nm, and 67L to OKB is 270 nm. So it's the halfway point.

250 is a stretch for a Cessna 152. As I noted, doing flight math on a 1980 C152 from Carlsbad to North Las Vegas, it's 211 nm. That was not comfortable on paper so a stop at 29 Palms was added in. Combining the total fuel taken onboard from that stop plus the Las Vegas refuel and it was 24.9 gallons. About one laess than the C152 holds, total. Which means it would have been a tight trip or ended like this one here in Oceanside did. Sure, the departure from 29 Palms used more fuel than a cruise past would have, but the descent used less- so it cancels itself out.

Now, this crashed C152 could have long range tanks on it, that would give it 39 usable gallons. I've never ever seen a C152 with long range tanks though. Full tanks would eat into the useful load and it would definitely be a single person airplane, but would have been able to make that trip from SLC to OKB via 67L without the blink of an eye. Perhaps it's long range and they took on 30 gallons.

Whats even more sad is the last leg of that trip past some mighty fine airports. All of the with gas. those needles must have been bouncing off the E.

Yup, pretty sad.

There's only one thing they can violate you for .. in an emergency. Fuel starvation/exhaustion. Claiming there's a cup of fuel left is like saying the fire engine still had water in it .. with a gallon left.

Who cares wrote on Aug 10, 2008 10:47 AM:The story is about the plane running off the landing strip not the type of plane all you airplane experts.

lioneltrains wrote on Aug 10, 2008 12:44 PM:Obviously, their little, dinky 152, would have had to have left SLC more than 2 & 1/2 hours earlier. Evidently, a reporting mistake. But thanks to all of you weekend puddle-jumper private pilots for pointing that out.

Grump wrote on Aug 10, 2008 1:37 PM:Where is the picture?

Captain wrote on Aug 10, 2008 3:03 PM:I haven't had to fly a C-152 in a long time, but Umm's probably right on about running out of gas.

Who cares wrote on Aug 10, 2008 4:41 PM:Thats right its about a plane crash landing and running off the runway...The above posters must be the 3 people who use the airport on a regular basis. If the airport were closed we wouldn't have this problem.

I care wrote on Aug 10, 2008 9:54 PM:If the airport were to have been closed than airplanes like this would land on roads, schools, parks, beaches and hillsides if they have engine failures. Face it, we need these small airports to serve communities and Oceanside Airport has done a great job!

oside.local wrote on Aug 11, 2008 10:41 AM:Yea..and if those homes wern't build off Benet Rd. there would be more open land next to the airport...

phili wrote on Aug 12, 2008 12:02 AM:umm ... ok first of all umm i dont think the pilots wrote the article about getting from slc to okb in 2 hours so i doubt their remedial training is necessary. As for the c152 crashing im glad those guys are ok. it seams there has been many small airplane crashes lately all without such a good ending as this. Loosing an engine is a scary deal and Iv even lost one myself and didnt have such good results.