Narrative:

I was aloft above downtown san francisco in order to photograph a foot race. Scattered tatters of stratus lingered over parts of the city from 1300-1500'. Visibility was better than 20 mi. Apart from continuing to monitor alameda NAS tower xmissions after clearing their air traffic area, I was not in contact with any ATC facility. Because I was solo in the airplane, the tasks of maintaining clearance from clouds, maintaining clearance from 3 helicopter's and a banner towing small aircraft also orbiting the area of the foot race, and aligning the airplane and shooting the photos all kept my attention outside the cockpit for 3-5 mins at a time. As a result, my altitude was not always maintained in strict accordance with the far's. I was attempting to maintain 1000' AGL, yet on several occasions I had either descended as low as 500' AGL or ascended as high as 1600' MSL into the oak arsa. I was surprised at the magnitude of these excursions when my rare glances at the altimeter revealed them. Interestingly, a brief episode on collision avoidance during this flight took a nasty, ironic turn. I had flown off shore to obtain some panoramic views of the finish line area and generally get clear of the other orbiting traffic. However, I suddenly lost sight of 1 helicopter I had judged to be close. I immediately made a steep turn to seaward and dropped like a stone, looking for it, made another turn to seaward still looking for it and after yet a third turn finally saw it. It was now deliberately approaching to form up on my left rear! My maneuvering to avoid it had attracted it! I maintained a steady course parallel the shoreline, about 400 yds off shore, and watched this maniac continue to slide up along side to less than 30' away! So much for my trying to stay clear of traffic! I was in no mood to dogfight, so I held steady until he got bored and finally flew away. There are a few things I could have done to have made the flight safer, and kept it confined to legal altitudes. One would have been to glance at the altimeter more often. Each glance takes a fraction of a second, and just a few more seconds to interpret. It wasn't necessary for me to hold my attention outside for such extreme lengths of time, and I should not have flown the flight solo. The tasks of piloting and photography are each too demanding to be properly conducted by 1 person. Third, it was unnecessary to take such radical evasive action--it had the opp effect and instead attracted conflicting traffic. I thought I had the helicopter in sight, then didn't, and got shaken up. A few simple dutch rolls and a quick dump of altitude would have been sufficient to ascertain clearance--there was no need to tear a crazy search through the sky.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED ARSA WITHOUT ATC CLRNC.

Narrative: I WAS ALOFT ABOVE DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO IN ORDER TO PHOTOGRAPH A FOOT RACE. SCATTERED TATTERS OF STRATUS LINGERED OVER PARTS OF THE CITY FROM 1300-1500'. VISIBILITY WAS BETTER THAN 20 MI. APART FROM CONTINUING TO MONITOR ALAMEDA NAS TWR XMISSIONS AFTER CLRING THEIR ATA, I WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH ANY ATC FAC. BECAUSE I WAS SOLO IN THE AIRPLANE, THE TASKS OF MAINTAINING CLRNC FROM CLOUDS, MAINTAINING CLRNC FROM 3 HELI'S AND A BANNER TOWING SMA ALSO ORBITING THE AREA OF THE FOOT RACE, AND ALIGNING THE AIRPLANE AND SHOOTING THE PHOTOS ALL KEPT MY ATTN OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT FOR 3-5 MINS AT A TIME. AS A RESULT, MY ALT WAS NOT ALWAYS MAINTAINED IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH THE FAR'S. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN 1000' AGL, YET ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAD EITHER DSNDED AS LOW AS 500' AGL OR ASCENDED AS HIGH AS 1600' MSL INTO THE OAK ARSA. I WAS SURPRISED AT THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE EXCURSIONS WHEN MY RARE GLANCES AT THE ALTIMETER REVEALED THEM. INTERESTINGLY, A BRIEF EPISODE ON COLLISION AVOIDANCE DURING THIS FLT TOOK A NASTY, IRONIC TURN. I HAD FLOWN OFF SHORE TO OBTAIN SOME PANORAMIC VIEWS OF THE FINISH LINE AREA AND GENERALLY GET CLR OF THE OTHER ORBITING TFC. HOWEVER, I SUDDENLY LOST SIGHT OF 1 HELI I HAD JUDGED TO BE CLOSE. I IMMEDIATELY MADE A STEEP TURN TO SEAWARD AND DROPPED LIKE A STONE, LOOKING FOR IT, MADE ANOTHER TURN TO SEAWARD STILL LOOKING FOR IT AND AFTER YET A THIRD TURN FINALLY SAW IT. IT WAS NOW DELIBERATELY APCHING TO FORM UP ON MY LEFT REAR! MY MANEUVERING TO AVOID IT HAD ATTRACTED IT! I MAINTAINED A STEADY COURSE PARALLEL THE SHORELINE, ABOUT 400 YDS OFF SHORE, AND WATCHED THIS MANIAC CONTINUE TO SLIDE UP ALONG SIDE TO LESS THAN 30' AWAY! SO MUCH FOR MY TRYING TO STAY CLR OF TFC! I WAS IN NO MOOD TO DOGFIGHT, SO I HELD STEADY UNTIL HE GOT BORED AND FINALLY FLEW AWAY. THERE ARE A FEW THINGS I COULD HAVE DONE TO HAVE MADE THE FLT SAFER, AND KEPT IT CONFINED TO LEGAL ALTS. ONE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO GLANCE AT THE ALTIMETER MORE OFTEN. EACH GLANCE TAKES A FRACTION OF A SECOND, AND JUST A FEW MORE SECS TO INTERPRET. IT WASN'T NECESSARY FOR ME TO HOLD MY ATTN OUTSIDE FOR SUCH EXTREME LENGTHS OF TIME, AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN THE FLT SOLO. THE TASKS OF PILOTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY ARE EACH TOO DEMANDING TO BE PROPERLY CONDUCTED BY 1 PERSON. THIRD, IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO TAKE SUCH RADICAL EVASIVE ACTION--IT HAD THE OPP EFFECT AND INSTEAD ATTRACTED CONFLICTING TFC. I THOUGHT I HAD THE HELI IN SIGHT, THEN DIDN'T, AND GOT SHAKEN UP. A FEW SIMPLE DUTCH ROLLS AND A QUICK DUMP OF ALT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO ASCERTAIN CLRNC--THERE WAS NO NEED TO TEAR A CRAZY SEARCH THROUGH THE SKY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.