Narrative:

On feb/sat/97, I departed livermore airport wbound for san carlos airport at approximately XA30 pm. This was the first weekend that provided cavu conditions in many weeks, therefore, there was high air traffic area traffic. Upon clearing livermore's airspace, I contacted bay approach with my location, altitude and destination. They gave me a transponder code and instructions to remain clear of class B airspace. Once past the mountainous terrain, I descended to 1200 ft MSL to insure clearance with the overlying controled airspace (1500 ft MSL). At this altitude and with a low sun directly ahead, it was not possible to positively identify landmarks until within approximately 1 mi of them. 1/2 way across the lower san francisco bay, bay approach directed me to squawk 1200. During this time I was frequently referring to my sfo terminal chart as my primary concern was not to enter the class B airspace. I then contacted san carlos tower, provided location as approaching from the east and that I had received the ATIS broadcast. Although I had never landed at this airport before, I did not tell this to the tower controller. The tower controller inquired as to my intentions to make either a right base entry or a right downwind entry. I notified him of my plan to make a right downwind pattern entry for runway 30. He replied with a traffic report to look for a pitts (biplane) in the pattern. He then notified other pattern traffic of what he thought was me, noting that my landing light was on, which it was. I began my descent to pattern altitude approximately 2 mi behind the traffic at last sighting. The first positively identifiable landmark was moffett airfield at my 12 O'clock position. I immediately recognized that I was too close to it to be in position for san carlos airport. Simultaneously I idented what I believed to be palo alto airport, not having landed there either, at my 1 - 2 O'clock position and spotted 2 aircraft in the upwind pattern. I notified san carlos tower of my actual position and immediately began a climb. Per instructions I switched to the palo alto tower frequency. I continued to climb and proceeded to navigation a box pattern until I was overhead climbing through 1600 ft MSL. At this point I made contact with the palo alto tower verifying my position and desire to proceed to san carlos. Again, per instructions, I switched to san carlos tower. They instructed me to make a straight-in approach to runway 30 from my present position and that I was to contact the palo alto tower by telephone upon landing. After reaching transient parking, I was given the phone number from the ground controller. Upon calling palo alto tower, I was told by the controller that I had entered his class D airspace without permission and that he had to notify 2 planes in the pattern of my position. The gentleman's voice sounded quite agitated as he repeated the necessity to provide separation of the pattern traffic and that he (sarcastically) couldn't just in essence do nothing about it. Having never been in a situation that required me to contact a tower, I explained that I didn't fully understand his statement. He then terminated the conversation with (again sounding sarcastic) 'have a good day.' under the same circumstances it would have been helpful to request radar vectors from bay approach while still on the east side of the bay as both palo alto and san carlos are but a few mi apart. Notifying both the approach controller and the tower controller of my unfamiliarity with the destination.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT GETS LOST ON VFR FLT ACROSS BAY AND PERFORMS AN UNAUTH PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PROX OF CLASS D AIRSPACE. WRONG ARPT APCH.

Narrative: ON FEB/SAT/97, I DEPARTED LIVERMORE ARPT WBOUND FOR SAN CARLOS ARPT AT APPROX XA30 PM. THIS WAS THE FIRST WEEKEND THAT PROVIDED CAVU CONDITIONS IN MANY WKS, THEREFORE, THERE WAS HIGH ATA TFC. UPON CLRING LIVERMORE'S AIRSPACE, I CONTACTED BAY APCH WITH MY LOCATION, ALT AND DEST. THEY GAVE ME A XPONDER CODE AND INSTRUCTIONS TO REMAIN CLR OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. ONCE PAST THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, I DSNDED TO 1200 FT MSL TO INSURE CLRNC WITH THE OVERLYING CTLED AIRSPACE (1500 FT MSL). AT THIS ALT AND WITH A LOW SUN DIRECTLY AHEAD, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO POSITIVELY IDENT LANDMARKS UNTIL WITHIN APPROX 1 MI OF THEM. 1/2 WAY ACROSS THE LOWER SAN FRANCISCO BAY, BAY APCH DIRECTED ME TO SQUAWK 1200. DURING THIS TIME I WAS FREQUENTLY REFERRING TO MY SFO TERMINAL CHART AS MY PRIMARY CONCERN WAS NOT TO ENTER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I THEN CONTACTED SAN CARLOS TWR, PROVIDED LOCATION AS APCHING FROM THE E AND THAT I HAD RECEIVED THE ATIS BROADCAST. ALTHOUGH I HAD NEVER LANDED AT THIS ARPT BEFORE, I DID NOT TELL THIS TO THE TWR CTLR. THE TWR CTLR INQUIRED AS TO MY INTENTIONS TO MAKE EITHER A R BASE ENTRY OR A R DOWNWIND ENTRY. I NOTIFIED HIM OF MY PLAN TO MAKE A R DOWNWIND PATTERN ENTRY FOR RWY 30. HE REPLIED WITH A TFC RPT TO LOOK FOR A PITTS (BIPLANE) IN THE PATTERN. HE THEN NOTIFIED OTHER PATTERN TFC OF WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS ME, NOTING THAT MY LNDG LIGHT WAS ON, WHICH IT WAS. I BEGAN MY DSCNT TO PATTERN ALT APPROX 2 MI BEHIND THE TFC AT LAST SIGHTING. THE FIRST POSITIVELY IDENTIFIABLE LANDMARK WAS MOFFETT AIRFIELD AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THAT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO IT TO BE IN POS FOR SAN CARLOS ARPT. SIMULTANEOUSLY I IDENTED WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE PALO ALTO ARPT, NOT HAVING LANDED THERE EITHER, AT MY 1 - 2 O'CLOCK POS AND SPOTTED 2 ACFT IN THE UPWIND PATTERN. I NOTIFIED SAN CARLOS TWR OF MY ACTUAL POS AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A CLB. PER INSTRUCTIONS I SWITCHED TO THE PALO ALTO TWR FREQ. I CONTINUED TO CLB AND PROCEEDED TO NAV A BOX PATTERN UNTIL I WAS OVERHEAD CLBING THROUGH 1600 FT MSL. AT THIS POINT I MADE CONTACT WITH THE PALO ALTO TWR VERIFYING MY POS AND DESIRE TO PROCEED TO SAN CARLOS. AGAIN, PER INSTRUCTIONS, I SWITCHED TO SAN CARLOS TWR. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO MAKE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 30 FROM MY PRESENT POS AND THAT I WAS TO CONTACT THE PALO ALTO TWR BY TELEPHONE UPON LNDG. AFTER REACHING TRANSIENT PARKING, I WAS GIVEN THE PHONE NUMBER FROM THE GND CTLR. UPON CALLING PALO ALTO TWR, I WAS TOLD BY THE CTLR THAT I HAD ENTERED HIS CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND THAT HE HAD TO NOTIFY 2 PLANES IN THE PATTERN OF MY POS. THE GENTLEMAN'S VOICE SOUNDED QUITE AGITATED AS HE REPEATED THE NECESSITY TO PROVIDE SEPARATION OF THE PATTERN TFC AND THAT HE (SARCASTICALLY) COULDN'T JUST IN ESSENCE DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. HAVING NEVER BEEN IN A SIT THAT REQUIRED ME TO CONTACT A TWR, I EXPLAINED THAT I DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND HIS STATEMENT. HE THEN TERMINATED THE CONVERSATION WITH (AGAIN SOUNDING SARCASTIC) 'HAVE A GOOD DAY.' UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO REQUEST RADAR VECTORS FROM BAY APCH WHILE STILL ON THE E SIDE OF THE BAY AS BOTH PALO ALTO AND SAN CARLOS ARE BUT A FEW MI APART. NOTIFYING BOTH THE APCH CTLR AND THE TWR CTLR OF MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE DEST.

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.