Narrative:

I flew into the san jose arsa without establishing radio contact. On a VFR flight into san carlos from cameron park, following all the rules and in continuous contact with the respective controllers, the bay approach controller terminated my service at the door step of the san jose arsa without handing me off, or at least giving me san jose's frequency and a suggestion that I contact them. Directly following this service termination, the woodside VOR signal which I was following to thread myself between the san francisco TCA and the san jose arsa evidently failed. A partial low stratus layer prevented me from positively checking my ground position at that time (I was in VFR flight conditions at all times). Up to this time, I had no indication that I was not directly on course. My next visual reference placed me just east of moffett NAS and within the san jose arsa. The serious and unavoidable factor in this scenario was the precipitous termination of radar service at the doorstep of the san jose arsa. With a normal handoff to san jose, there would not have been an incident to report. The failure of the woodside VOR and its contribution to my navigation error was unavoidable and only a contributing factor. The san francisco bay area is a very complex area through which to fly. This complexity is now amplified by the establishment of the san jose arsa. (There is only a 1 mi wide keyhole between the san francisco TRSA and san jose arsa between 1500 MSL and 4000 MSL. Only on perfect days can that be successfully navigated.) from a practical standpoint, a pilot must be in continuous radio contact with the various controllers! For safety purposes and to successfully fly in these complex areas, once the pilot has successfully established with the controllers and is within the system, that contact must be maintained right up to the final landing within this area. The controllers cannot terminate service without further instructions without creating an unsafe condition. Conversely, the pilots cannot cancel service until clear of these areas. The single most important lesson here is that procedures must be established for the controllers within these areas to provide full service to VFR pilots once contact has been established and accepted. This service is as important to VFR pilots as IFR pilots in VFR conditions. To provide anything less is to set up booby traps similar to the one I was caught in. If the FAA is going to make our skies so complex under the guise of safety, they are going to have to accept the responsibility of providing the services required to allow the pilots to safely fly them. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the reporter was called and counseled about ATC obligations and services to VFR aircraft. Additionally, the analyst suggested that adequate ground reference is desirable in congested areas for the purpose of navigation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LIGHT ACFT IN CONTACT WITH TRACON INADVERTENTLY PENETRATES ARSA.

Narrative: I FLEW INTO THE SAN JOSE ARSA WITHOUT ESTABLISHING RADIO CONTACT. ON A VFR FLT INTO SAN CARLOS FROM CAMERON PARK, FOLLOWING ALL THE RULES AND IN CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH THE RESPECTIVE CTLRS, THE BAY APCH CTLR TERMINATED MY SERVICE AT THE DOOR STEP OF THE SAN JOSE ARSA WITHOUT HANDING ME OFF, OR AT LEAST GIVING ME SAN JOSE'S FREQ AND A SUGGESTION THAT I CONTACT THEM. DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THIS SERVICE TERMINATION, THE WOODSIDE VOR SIGNAL WHICH I WAS FOLLOWING TO THREAD MYSELF BETWEEN THE SAN FRANCISCO TCA AND THE SAN JOSE ARSA EVIDENTLY FAILED. A PARTIAL LOW STRATUS LAYER PREVENTED ME FROM POSITIVELY CHECKING MY GND POSITION AT THAT TIME (I WAS IN VFR FLT CONDITIONS AT ALL TIMES). UP TO THIS TIME, I HAD NO INDICATION THAT I WAS NOT DIRECTLY ON COURSE. MY NEXT VISUAL REFERENCE PLACED ME JUST EAST OF MOFFETT NAS AND WITHIN THE SAN JOSE ARSA. THE SERIOUS AND UNAVOIDABLE FACTOR IN THIS SCENARIO WAS THE PRECIPITOUS TERMINATION OF RADAR SERVICE AT THE DOORSTEP OF THE SAN JOSE ARSA. WITH A NORMAL HANDOFF TO SAN JOSE, THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AN INCIDENT TO REPORT. THE FAILURE OF THE WOODSIDE VOR AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO MY NAVIGATION ERROR WAS UNAVOIDABLE AND ONLY A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA IS A VERY COMPLEX AREA THROUGH WHICH TO FLY. THIS COMPLEXITY IS NOW AMPLIFIED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAN JOSE ARSA. (THERE IS ONLY A 1 MI WIDE KEYHOLE BETWEEN THE SAN FRANCISCO TRSA AND SAN JOSE ARSA BETWEEN 1500 MSL AND 4000 MSL. ONLY ON PERFECT DAYS CAN THAT BE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED.) FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, A PLT MUST BE IN CONTINUOUS RADIO CONTACT WITH THE VARIOUS CTLRS! FOR SAFETY PURPOSES AND TO SUCCESSFULLY FLY IN THESE COMPLEX AREAS, ONCE THE PLT HAS SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED WITH THE CTLRS AND IS WITHIN THE SYSTEM, THAT CONTACT MUST BE MAINTAINED RIGHT UP TO THE FINAL LNDG WITHIN THIS AREA. THE CTLRS CANNOT TERMINATE SERVICE WITHOUT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WITHOUT CREATING AN UNSAFE CONDITION. CONVERSELY, THE PLTS CANNOT CANCEL SERVICE UNTIL CLEAR OF THESE AREAS. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON HERE IS THAT PROCEDURES MUST BE ESTABLISHED FOR THE CTLRS WITHIN THESE AREAS TO PROVIDE FULL SERVICE TO VFR PLTS ONCE CONTACT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AND ACCEPTED. THIS SERVICE IS AS IMPORTANT TO VFR PLTS AS IFR PLTS IN VFR CONDITIONS. TO PROVIDE ANYTHING LESS IS TO SET UP BOOBY TRAPS SIMILAR TO THE ONE I WAS CAUGHT IN. IF THE FAA IS GOING TO MAKE OUR SKIES SO COMPLEX UNDER THE GUISE OF SAFETY, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROVIDING THE SERVICES REQUIRED TO ALLOW THE PLTS TO SAFELY FLY THEM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE REPORTER WAS CALLED AND COUNSELED ABOUT ATC OBLIGATIONS AND SERVICES TO VFR ACFT. ADDITIONALLY, THE ANALYST SUGGESTED THAT ADEQUATE GND REFERENCE IS DESIRABLE IN CONGESTED AREAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF NAVIGATION.

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.