Pilot of a beech bonanza on flight following has radar terminated just prior to arriving at class B ...

Attributes
ACN	411660
Time
Date	199808
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : sfo
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 6500 msl bound upper : 6500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : suu tracon : oak tower : msp
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Bonanza 33
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent other
Route In Use	enroute : direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 950 flight time type : 150
ASRS Report	411660
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

We were on a VFR flight into sfo international. We were on VFR flight following from reno into sfo. We were with travis approach (they knew we were en route to sfo). Just before we were to enter class B airspace they told us, 'radar service terminated squawk VFR.' by the time we executed our turn and called bay area control we had already entered class B without a clearance. Once we contacted bay area control they told us that we were inside of class B without a clearance. We were told to call the control facility when we got on the ground. Bay area control then cleared us and the rest of the flight was uneventful. Upon calling bay area control they just wanted to talk to us about the events that transpired. They said that they were not going to violate us and that for us to not assume that travis would automatically hand us off to bay area control. Human considerations: we were under the impression that travis approach would automatically hand us off to bay area control. That was obviously not the case. We let our guard down while with travis approach. If we would not have been on VFR flight following we definitely would have called bay area control well before entering class B. Even though we had a squawk code and were 'radar contact' we should have been questioning travis as we neared class B. I feel that travis pulled a dirty trick on us. At least they could have done was tell us that we were 1 mi from class B or they could have handed us off in time. We learned a good lesson, but we still feel we were let down by travis approach. This was one instance where VFR flight following was not in our best interest.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A BEECH BONANZA ON FLT FOLLOWING HAS RADAR TERMINATED JUST PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT CLASS B AIRSPACE. UNABLE TO CONTACT THE NEXT APCH CTLR BEFORE ENTERING THE CLASS B.

Narrative: WE WERE ON A VFR FLT INTO SFO INTL. WE WERE ON VFR FLT FOLLOWING FROM RENO INTO SFO. WE WERE WITH TRAVIS APCH (THEY KNEW WE WERE ENRTE TO SFO). JUST BEFORE WE WERE TO ENTER CLASS B AIRSPACE THEY TOLD US, 'RADAR SVC TERMINATED SQUAWK VFR.' BY THE TIME WE EXECUTED OUR TURN AND CALLED BAY AREA CTL WE HAD ALREADY ENTERED CLASS B WITHOUT A CLRNC. ONCE WE CONTACTED BAY AREA CTL THEY TOLD US THAT WE WERE INSIDE OF CLASS B WITHOUT A CLRNC. WE WERE TOLD TO CALL THE CTL FACILITY WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. BAY AREA CTL THEN CLRED US AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON CALLING BAY AREA CTL THEY JUST WANTED TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED. THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO VIOLATE US AND THAT FOR US TO NOT ASSUME THAT TRAVIS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY HAND US OFF TO BAY AREA CTL. HUMAN CONSIDERATIONS: WE WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT TRAVIS APCH WOULD AUTOMATICALLY HAND US OFF TO BAY AREA CTL. THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE CASE. WE LET OUR GUARD DOWN WHILE WITH TRAVIS APCH. IF WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON VFR FLT FOLLOWING WE DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE CALLED BAY AREA CTL WELL BEFORE ENTERING CLASS B. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD A SQUAWK CODE AND WERE 'RADAR CONTACT' WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN QUESTIONING TRAVIS AS WE NEARED CLASS B. I FEEL THAT TRAVIS PULLED A DIRTY TRICK ON US. AT LEAST THEY COULD HAVE DONE WAS TELL US THAT WE WERE 1 MI FROM CLASS B OR THEY COULD HAVE HANDED US OFF IN TIME. WE LEARNED A GOOD LESSON, BUT WE STILL FEEL WE WERE LET DOWN BY TRAVIS APCH. THIS WAS ONE INSTANCE WHERE VFR FLT FOLLOWING WAS NOT IN OUR BEST INTEREST.

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.

Pilot of a beech bonanza on flight following has radar terminated just prior to arriving at class B airspace. Unable to contact the next approach controller before entering the class B.