Narrative:

Takeoff from LGB07 and turned northeast after a standard departure. Purpose of the flight was to exercise the aircraft system and dry everything out from past week's heavy rainstorms. Plan was to go to paradise VOR, then to el toro, then offshore a ways to duck back under the southernmost edge of the 100/70 extension of the class B for a return to lgb. Temporarily leveled off at 6700 ft to stay below class B. After passing mile square park, resumed climb to 9500 ft. After leveling off at 9500 ft and setting a direct course for paradise VOR, (about 030 degrees), I looked down and through breaks in the clouds I could see that I was north of el toro, a little south and west of irvine lake, almost directly over the transportation corridor construction site. Looking ahead, I saw solid undercast and after a few mins decided I did not really want to go there. So, I altered the initial plan and turned south towards the ocean, to follow the coast until passing abeam of el toro, then to head out along the southern edge of the 100/70 class B extension until far enough out to let down and go under the class B airspace extension and back to lgb. Cloud cover that day was pretty much broken to overcast everywhere but over the long beach area and the water between catalina and the shore from palos verde south to about abeam of john wayne. That's why I needed to go out before descending. In retrospect, that is where I made my first mistake. I should have reversed course and gone back the way I came, but I wanted to stay at normal cruise for awhile so failed to recognize that the cloud conditions could make it difficult to visually identify position in relation to the class B with the required precision. I crossed the shoreline a little south of the entrance to newport harbor and turned south to follow the shoreline about 1/2 mi or so offshore until past el toro. As I usually do, I looked up the coast approach frequency for that sector and dialed it in so I could monitor the traffic situation. As I came on frequency, I heard the tail end of a conversation between the controller and another aircraft regarding an airspace violator. I didn't think much about it at that moment because I was sure I was ok position wise. A couple of mins later, I heard the controller call the violator out to another aircraft. Still I did not think it was me, but it definitely piqued my attention, because now I could not see my position in relation to the shore and was no longer so sure of myself. A couple of mins later, he called the violator out to another aircraft and this time, he read off the violator's altitude. As he did so, I was looking at my altimeter reading the exact same numbers. Now I was really in doubt, and when I looked where the aircraft he was talking to should have been in relation to me, there he was. I immediately descended below the class B floor and called the controller to identify myself and apologize. (I felt like an idiot. I have flown out of lgb for over 18 yrs and have never violated the TCA/class B area.) hindsight being 20/20, I should not have come back towards the class B at that altitude. I've never done that before and I can assure you, I won't do it again. Considering the cloud cover, I should not have relied on visual contact with the ground as a sole method of navigating around the class B area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF NAVION IN PROCESS OF 'EXERCISING' THE ACFT ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: TKOF FROM LGB07 AND TURNED NE AFTER A STANDARD DEP. PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO EXERCISE THE ACFT SYS AND DRY EVERYTHING OUT FROM PAST WK'S HVY RAINSTORMS. PLAN WAS TO GO TO PARADISE VOR, THEN TO EL TORO, THEN OFFSHORE A WAYS TO DUCK BACK UNDER THE SOUTHERNMOST EDGE OF THE 100/70 EXTENSION OF THE CLASS B FOR A RETURN TO LGB. TEMPORARILY LEVELED OFF AT 6700 FT TO STAY BELOW CLASS B. AFTER PASSING MILE SQUARE PARK, RESUMED CLB TO 9500 FT. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 9500 FT AND SETTING A DIRECT COURSE FOR PARADISE VOR, (ABOUT 030 DEGS), I LOOKED DOWN AND THROUGH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS I COULD SEE THAT I WAS N OF EL TORO, A LITTLE S AND W OF IRVINE LAKE, ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION SITE. LOOKING AHEAD, I SAW SOLID UNDERCAST AND AFTER A FEW MINS DECIDED I DID NOT REALLY WANT TO GO THERE. SO, I ALTERED THE INITIAL PLAN AND TURNED S TOWARDS THE OCEAN, TO FOLLOW THE COAST UNTIL PASSING ABEAM OF EL TORO, THEN TO HEAD OUT ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE 100/70 CLASS B EXTENSION UNTIL FAR ENOUGH OUT TO LET DOWN AND GO UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE EXTENSION AND BACK TO LGB. CLOUD COVER THAT DAY WAS PRETTY MUCH BROKEN TO OVCST EVERYWHERE BUT OVER THE LONG BEACH AREA AND THE WATER BTWN CATALINA AND THE SHORE FROM PALOS VERDE S TO ABOUT ABEAM OF JOHN WAYNE. THAT'S WHY I NEEDED TO GO OUT BEFORE DSNDING. IN RETROSPECT, THAT IS WHERE I MADE MY FIRST MISTAKE. I SHOULD HAVE REVERSED COURSE AND GONE BACK THE WAY I CAME, BUT I WANTED TO STAY AT NORMAL CRUISE FOR AWHILE SO FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE CLOUD CONDITIONS COULD MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO VISUALLY IDENT POS IN RELATION TO THE CLASS B WITH THE REQUIRED PRECISION. I CROSSED THE SHORELINE A LITTLE S OF THE ENTRANCE TO NEWPORT HARBOR AND TURNED S TO FOLLOW THE SHORELINE ABOUT 1/2 MI OR SO OFFSHORE UNTIL PAST EL TORO. AS I USUALLY DO, I LOOKED UP THE COAST APCH FREQ FOR THAT SECTOR AND DIALED IT IN SO I COULD MONITOR THE TFC SIT. AS I CAME ON FREQ, I HEARD THE TAIL END OF A CONVERSATION BTWN THE CTLR AND ANOTHER ACFT REGARDING AN AIRSPACE VIOLATOR. I DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT IT AT THAT MOMENT BECAUSE I WAS SURE I WAS OK POS WISE. A COUPLE OF MINS LATER, I HEARD THE CTLR CALL THE VIOLATOR OUT TO ANOTHER ACFT. STILL I DID NOT THINK IT WAS ME, BUT IT DEFINITELY PIQUED MY ATTN, BECAUSE NOW I COULD NOT SEE MY POS IN RELATION TO THE SHORE AND WAS NO LONGER SO SURE OF MYSELF. A COUPLE OF MINS LATER, HE CALLED THE VIOLATOR OUT TO ANOTHER ACFT AND THIS TIME, HE READ OFF THE VIOLATOR'S ALT. AS HE DID SO, I WAS LOOKING AT MY ALTIMETER READING THE EXACT SAME NUMBERS. NOW I WAS REALLY IN DOUBT, AND WHEN I LOOKED WHERE THE ACFT HE WAS TALKING TO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN RELATION TO ME, THERE HE WAS. I IMMEDIATELY DSNDED BELOW THE CLASS B FLOOR AND CALLED THE CTLR TO IDENT MYSELF AND APOLOGIZE. (I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT. I HAVE FLOWN OUT OF LGB FOR OVER 18 YRS AND HAVE NEVER VIOLATED THE TCA/CLASS B AREA.) HINDSIGHT BEING 20/20, I SHOULD NOT HAVE COME BACK TOWARDS THE CLASS B AT THAT ALT. I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE AND I CAN ASSURE YOU, I WON'T DO IT AGAIN. CONSIDERING THE CLOUD COVER, I SHOULD NOT HAVE RELIED ON VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND AS A SOLE METHOD OF NAVING AROUND THE CLASS B AREA.

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.