Narrative:

Last sunday I took my first flight since receiving my private pilot certificate the week before. I joined a flying club and was taxiing out of the parking area at montgomery field. Me: ground, this is cessna xyz, do I need a clearance for departure? Ground: cessna xyz, are you flying VFR? Me: yes, VFR. Ground: you only need clearance for IFR. Me: ok, I'm near the exxon sign, request departure runway 28L please. I'm not completely clear on the exact wording, but basically I think something like 'stand by' was said. Next comes the nightmare for me. Having some radio static problems, I may have missed another aircraft's call sign, but heard the controller say follow the cessna ahead, etc. Thinking that she meant me, I started rolling. When I got to runway 28L, I called: ground, can I do my run-up right here? Ground: ok sir, I'll cancel your instructions. (Approximately wording.) at this point I didn't understand why my taxi instructions were canceled, but that I would probably understand after my run-up. Notice that at this point I didn't realize it, but the ground controller thought that I was still at the area of the exxon sign. I stupidly didn't say that I was going onto the taxiway when she had said follow the cessna, etc. I finished the run-up and said: ground, xyz we're ready to go. At this point, I was perhaps 35 ft from the hold lines next to the threshold of runway 28L. I once again didn't do as I always do at my home airport which is to say, 'holding short of the left' before I said 'we're ready to go.' ground: cessna xyz, taxi to runway 28R. With only a slight bit of hesitancy, I rolled saying: xyz. I rolled across the active runway obeying instructions in my mind (momentarily forgetting that I was supposed to hear 'cross runway such and such, hold short of the other runway such and such.') me: xyz holding short of the right between runways. There was a deafening hush until the ground controller said: cessna xyz, sir you're not where you're supposed to be. I waited a few mins, got u-turn instructions, took off on the left after being told to contact the tower at a particular phone number when we returned. After a downwind departure, I was attempting to stay clear of the class B airspace around 10 mi out and was called by the tower of the airport which I had just departed. Tower: cessna xyz, you're in class B airspace, turn left immediately. Me: xyz turning left. Nothing more was said on the radio about my drifting into the class B airspace during the flight. When I returned to montgomery field, I called the tower and apologized for doing such a stupid thing on the runway and on my departure. The controller was very polite and said that traffic control would be calling me at home to discuss the matter. The tower manager called me a few days later wanting to clear up what had transpired at the airport and said that socal or another agency would be calling me also. A week later, I have now received 5 1/2 hours of training on montgomery field operations and airspace operation around san class B airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NEWLY LICENSED C172 PLT CROSSES A RWY WITHOUT AUTH AND LATER ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT AUTH.

Narrative: LAST SUNDAY I TOOK MY FIRST FLT SINCE RECEIVING MY PVT PLT CERTIFICATE THE WK BEFORE. I JOINED A FLYING CLUB AND WAS TAXIING OUT OF THE PARKING AREA AT MONTGOMERY FIELD. ME: GND, THIS IS CESSNA XYZ, DO I NEED A CLRNC FOR DEP? GND: CESSNA XYZ, ARE YOU FLYING VFR? ME: YES, VFR. GND: YOU ONLY NEED CLRNC FOR IFR. ME: OK, I'M NEAR THE EXXON SIGN, REQUEST DEP RWY 28L PLEASE. I'M NOT COMPLETELY CLR ON THE EXACT WORDING, BUT BASICALLY I THINK SOMETHING LIKE 'STAND BY' WAS SAID. NEXT COMES THE NIGHTMARE FOR ME. HAVING SOME RADIO STATIC PROBS, I MAY HAVE MISSED ANOTHER ACFT'S CALL SIGN, BUT HEARD THE CTLR SAY FOLLOW THE CESSNA AHEAD, ETC. THINKING THAT SHE MEANT ME, I STARTED ROLLING. WHEN I GOT TO RWY 28L, I CALLED: GND, CAN I DO MY RUN-UP RIGHT HERE? GND: OK SIR, I'LL CANCEL YOUR INSTRUCTIONS. (APPROX WORDING.) AT THIS POINT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE CANCELED, BUT THAT I WOULD PROBABLY UNDERSTAND AFTER MY RUN-UP. NOTICE THAT AT THIS POINT I DIDN'T REALIZE IT, BUT THE GND CTLR THOUGHT THAT I WAS STILL AT THE AREA OF THE EXXON SIGN. I STUPIDLY DIDN'T SAY THAT I WAS GOING ONTO THE TXWY WHEN SHE HAD SAID FOLLOW THE CESSNA, ETC. I FINISHED THE RUN-UP AND SAID: GND, XYZ WE'RE READY TO GO. AT THIS POINT, I WAS PERHAPS 35 FT FROM THE HOLD LINES NEXT TO THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 28L. I ONCE AGAIN DIDN'T DO AS I ALWAYS DO AT MY HOME ARPT WHICH IS TO SAY, 'HOLDING SHORT OF THE L' BEFORE I SAID 'WE'RE READY TO GO.' GND: CESSNA XYZ, TAXI TO RWY 28R. WITH ONLY A SLIGHT BIT OF HESITANCY, I ROLLED SAYING: XYZ. I ROLLED ACROSS THE ACTIVE RWY OBEYING INSTRUCTIONS IN MY MIND (MOMENTARILY FORGETTING THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO HEAR 'CROSS RWY SUCH AND SUCH, HOLD SHORT OF THE OTHER RWY SUCH AND SUCH.') ME: XYZ HOLDING SHORT OF THE R BTWN RWYS. THERE WAS A DEAFENING HUSH UNTIL THE GND CTLR SAID: CESSNA XYZ, SIR YOU'RE NOT WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. I WAITED A FEW MINS, GOT U-TURN INSTRUCTIONS, TOOK OFF ON THE L AFTER BEING TOLD TO CONTACT THE TWR AT A PARTICULAR PHONE NUMBER WHEN WE RETURNED. AFTER A DOWNWIND DEP, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO STAY CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AROUND 10 MI OUT AND WAS CALLED BY THE TWR OF THE ARPT WHICH I HAD JUST DEPARTED. TWR: CESSNA XYZ, YOU'RE IN CLASS B AIRSPACE, TURN L IMMEDIATELY. ME: XYZ TURNING L. NOTHING MORE WAS SAID ON THE RADIO ABOUT MY DRIFTING INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE DURING THE FLT. WHEN I RETURNED TO MONTGOMERY FIELD, I CALLED THE TWR AND APOLOGIZED FOR DOING SUCH A STUPID THING ON THE RWY AND ON MY DEP. THE CTLR WAS VERY POLITE AND SAID THAT TFC CTL WOULD BE CALLING ME AT HOME TO DISCUSS THE MATTER. THE TWR MGR CALLED ME A FEW DAYS LATER WANTING TO CLR UP WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED AT THE ARPT AND SAID THAT SOCAL OR ANOTHER AGENCY WOULD BE CALLING ME ALSO. A WK LATER, I HAVE NOW RECEIVED 5 1/2 HRS OF TRAINING ON MONTGOMERY FIELD OPS AND AIRSPACE OP AROUND SAN CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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.