Narrative:

I departed redlands municipal airport, ca (L12) for reid- hillview airport, ca (rhv). There was a center WX advisory for high nne winds and moderate turbulence in the vicinity of mountains and passes south of santa barbara. Dust stirred up by the winds obscured visibility below about 9000 ft. I climbed to 10500 ft along the north edge of the ontario class C airspace while receiving flight-following services from socal approach. After leveling just north of brackett field (poc), socal terminated flight following and suggested I call socal again in about 20 mi for further service. I had intended to intercept V186 to follow it to van nuys VOR (vny) before proceeding toward the coast near ventura airport. The termination of services came just before my intercept with V186. I had tuned vny VOR to appear on the HSI, and properly set the obs to the inbound course. I turned toward vny by reference to the HSI, then set the DME to show distance to vny so that I'd know when to call socal again. When I next looked at the HSI, it showed that I'd inadvertently turned about 15 degrees right of the V186 heading. It also showed that I'd drifted slightly left of course. Since the wind was coming from the right, and the lax class B airspace was to the left, I decided that it was prudent to maintain a wind correction angle of 15 degrees, so I didn't correct the deviation. I took a few moments to scan for traffic. When I next looked down at the HSI, it showed a further 10 degrees of drift, as well as further drift left of course. I again looked outside to orient myself to landmarks on the ground, and looking along the santa monica mountains toward ventura, I noticed that I had drifted slightly south of the ridge line. I knew that the lax class B boundary was along that ridge line further ahead of me, though I knew I was near the edge formed by the pdz radial, it meant I was further south than I expected. It was at this point that I noticed that the artificial horizontal was indicating a 20 degree right turn at about 35 degrees pitch-up: a glance at the vacuum indicator on the far right end of the panel showed that my vacuum pump had died. Looking back at the HSI, I noticed that it was showing its heading flag (indicating no vacuum). Never having had a vacuum pump failure before, I was worried that the rest of the engine might be affected. (I know how dry vacuum pumps work and how failure is unlikely to the rest of the engine, but having never seen a failure in practice, I was concerned.) I was concerned that the HSI's presentation was incorrect due to the gyroscope spinning down, therefore I might be closer to the class B airspace than I thought. I turned the airplane directly toward the hills, away from where I thought the edge of the class B airspace was. At this point, I was able to visually locate van nuys airport. When I felt I was comfortably away from the edge of the class B airspace, I turned visually toward vny. I continued to closely monitor the engine gauges while getting used to flying by reference to the magnetic compass again. The compass was difficult to read consistently due to the turbulence. Eventually (past the '20 mi') I contacted the next socal approach controller. Shortly thereafter he gave me a vector to keep me clear of the class B airspace (though at that time I believed I was well north of the edge). After another min or so, he told me to resume my own navigation. The rest of the flight conducted strictly by pilotage and was uneventful. In retrospect, I believe that the only mistake I made was in not scanning the vacuum gauge sooner. When flying in instrument conditions, it's a part of my scan. However, when flying visually, I spend most of my attention outside. The timing of the pump failure was unfortunate: it occurred near special airspace, under turbulent conditions that increased the difficulty of the flight, with winds that pushed me toward the special airspace. It also happened just after flight following was unexpectedly terminated. If I could make 1 suggestion to gain some usefulness from this experience, it would be that the airspace be repartitioned to close the gap in services in that area: while I realize thatflt following is a workload- permitting service, and that I'm responsible for 'aviating' and 'navigating' at higher priorities than 'communicating,' the added workload of the termination was a minor distracting factor. Also, I intend to add a small vacuum gauge to the left side of my instrument panel to make it easier to notice a future vacuum pump failure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POSSIBLE INCURSION OF CLASS 'B' AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I DEPARTED REDLANDS MUNICIPAL ARPT, CA (L12) FOR REID- HILLVIEW ARPT, CA (RHV). THERE WAS A CTR WX ADVISORY FOR HIGH NNE WINDS AND MODERATE TURB IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNTAINS AND PASSES S OF SANTA BARBARA. DUST STIRRED UP BY THE WINDS OBSCURED VISIBILITY BELOW ABOUT 9000 FT. I CLBED TO 10500 FT ALONG THE N EDGE OF THE ONTARIO CLASS C AIRSPACE WHILE RECEIVING FLT-FOLLOWING SVCS FROM SOCAL APCH. AFTER LEVELING JUST N OF BRACKETT FIELD (POC), SOCAL TERMINATED FLT FOLLOWING AND SUGGESTED I CALL SOCAL AGAIN IN ABOUT 20 MI FOR FURTHER SVC. I HAD INTENDED TO INTERCEPT V186 TO FOLLOW IT TO VAN NUYS VOR (VNY) BEFORE PROCEEDING TOWARD THE COAST NEAR VENTURA ARPT. THE TERMINATION OF SVCS CAME JUST BEFORE MY INTERCEPT WITH V186. I HAD TUNED VNY VOR TO APPEAR ON THE HSI, AND PROPERLY SET THE OBS TO THE INBOUND COURSE. I TURNED TOWARD VNY BY REF TO THE HSI, THEN SET THE DME TO SHOW DISTANCE TO VNY SO THAT I'D KNOW WHEN TO CALL SOCAL AGAIN. WHEN I NEXT LOOKED AT THE HSI, IT SHOWED THAT I'D INADVERTENTLY TURNED ABOUT 15 DEGS R OF THE V186 HDG. IT ALSO SHOWED THAT I'D DRIFTED SLIGHTLY L OF COURSE. SINCE THE WIND WAS COMING FROM THE R, AND THE LAX CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS TO THE L, I DECIDED THAT IT WAS PRUDENT TO MAINTAIN A WIND CORRECTION ANGLE OF 15 DEGS, SO I DIDN'T CORRECT THE DEV. I TOOK A FEW MOMENTS TO SCAN FOR TFC. WHEN I NEXT LOOKED DOWN AT THE HSI, IT SHOWED A FURTHER 10 DEGS OF DRIFT, AS WELL AS FURTHER DRIFT L OF COURSE. I AGAIN LOOKED OUTSIDE TO ORIENT MYSELF TO LANDMARKS ON THE GND, AND LOOKING ALONG THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS TOWARD VENTURA, I NOTICED THAT I HAD DRIFTED SLIGHTLY S OF THE RIDGE LINE. I KNEW THAT THE LAX CLASS B BOUNDARY WAS ALONG THAT RIDGE LINE FURTHER AHEAD OF ME, THOUGH I KNEW I WAS NEAR THE EDGE FORMED BY THE PDZ RADIAL, IT MEANT I WAS FURTHER S THAN I EXPECTED. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT I NOTICED THAT THE ARTIFICIAL HORIZ WAS INDICATING A 20 DEG R TURN AT ABOUT 35 DEGS PITCH-UP: A GLANCE AT THE VACUUM INDICATOR ON THE FAR R END OF THE PANEL SHOWED THAT MY VACUUM PUMP HAD DIED. LOOKING BACK AT THE HSI, I NOTICED THAT IT WAS SHOWING ITS HDG FLAG (INDICATING NO VACUUM). NEVER HAVING HAD A VACUUM PUMP FAILURE BEFORE, I WAS WORRIED THAT THE REST OF THE ENG MIGHT BE AFFECTED. (I KNOW HOW DRY VACUUM PUMPS WORK AND HOW FAILURE IS UNLIKELY TO THE REST OF THE ENG, BUT HAVING NEVER SEEN A FAILURE IN PRACTICE, I WAS CONCERNED.) I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE HSI'S PRESENTATION WAS INCORRECT DUE TO THE GYROSCOPE SPINNING DOWN, THEREFORE I MIGHT BE CLOSER TO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE THAN I THOUGHT. I TURNED THE AIRPLANE DIRECTLY TOWARD THE HILLS, AWAY FROM WHERE I THOUGHT THE EDGE OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS. AT THIS POINT, I WAS ABLE TO VISUALLY LOCATE VAN NUYS ARPT. WHEN I FELT I WAS COMFORTABLY AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE, I TURNED VISUALLY TOWARD VNY. I CONTINUED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE ENG GAUGES WHILE GETTING USED TO FLYING BY REF TO THE MAGNETIC COMPASS AGAIN. THE COMPASS WAS DIFFICULT TO READ CONSISTENTLY DUE TO THE TURB. EVENTUALLY (PAST THE '20 MI') I CONTACTED THE NEXT SOCAL APCH CTLR. SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE GAVE ME A VECTOR TO KEEP ME CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE (THOUGH AT THAT TIME I BELIEVED I WAS WELL N OF THE EDGE). AFTER ANOTHER MIN OR SO, HE TOLD ME TO RESUME MY OWN NAV. THE REST OF THE FLT CONDUCTED STRICTLY BY PILOTAGE AND WAS UNEVENTFUL. IN RETROSPECT, I BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY MISTAKE I MADE WAS IN NOT SCANNING THE VACUUM GAUGE SOONER. WHEN FLYING IN INST CONDITIONS, IT'S A PART OF MY SCAN. HOWEVER, WHEN FLYING VISUALLY, I SPEND MOST OF MY ATTN OUTSIDE. THE TIMING OF THE PUMP FAILURE WAS UNFORTUNATE: IT OCCURRED NEAR SPECIAL AIRSPACE, UNDER TURBULENT CONDITIONS THAT INCREASED THE DIFFICULTY OF THE FLT, WITH WINDS THAT PUSHED ME TOWARD THE SPECIAL AIRSPACE. IT ALSO HAPPENED JUST AFTER FLT FOLLOWING WAS UNEXPECTEDLY TERMINATED. IF I COULD MAKE 1 SUGGESTION TO GAIN SOME USEFULNESS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, IT WOULD BE THAT THE AIRSPACE BE REPARTITIONED TO CLOSE THE GAP IN SVCS IN THAT AREA: WHILE I REALIZE THATFLT FOLLOWING IS A WORKLOAD- PERMITTING SVC, AND THAT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR 'AVIATING' AND 'NAVIGATING' AT HIGHER PRIORITIES THAN 'COMMUNICATING,' THE ADDED WORKLOAD OF THE TERMINATION WAS A MINOR DISTRACTING FACTOR. ALSO, I INTEND TO ADD A SMALL VACUUM GAUGE TO THE L SIDE OF MY INST PANEL TO MAKE IT EASIER TO NOTICE A FUTURE VACUUM PUMP FAILURE.

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.