Narrative:

On an IFR visual approach into burbank airport, I was advised by approach control not to descend below 3000 ft to avoid the airspace at nearby whiteman (whp) airport. The vector given me to approach the airport would take me directly over whiteman. As instructed, I stopped descending and maintained 3000 ft, but instead of turning a hard left to a right base to intercept the extended runway centerline of runway 15, which I should have done, I continued straight toward the airport. When I was quite close to the airport, and still over whiteman airspace and communicating with the burbank tower, they asked if I was going to be 'able to get down from there.' I interpreted this to mean that I was past whiteman and therefore not only authority/authorized to, but that I should immediately descend quickly to be able to land at burbank. In response, I said 'yes, I can make it down,' and began a descent. At this point, I was not clear of whiteman airspace. Burbank tower then called me and said that they had told me not to descend below 3000 ft and that I was then at 2500 ft and in whiteman airspace. I climbed back up, turned left to intercept the centerline of runway 15 and still managed to land safely at burbank without incident. I was in moderate turbulence, unfamiliar with the airport, having a hard time visually acquiring runway 15 or the airport in the haze, the instructions were confusing to me, and the vector angle given me to approach the airport environment was at a very sharp angle to runway 15. Pilots should not be vectored at such an angle to an airport and then be told they are 'cleared for the visual approach' and then asked if they 'can make it down from there' when those inputs are at odds with prior instructions to avoid descending into airspace that is very close to, but either within, or contiguous with, burbank's class C airspace. Contributing factors were my inability to see either airport in the haze, my unfamiliarity with the area, and the turbulence and thick cumulus clouds inside of which I was vectored in circles before breaking out, all of which distracted me from my usual mental focus on the approach and situational awareness of the angle of the approach and what that would require of me in terms of setting up a final approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA46 PLT, ON AN ANGEL FLT, DSNDED TOWARD BUR AND ENTERED WHP'S AIRSPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Narrative: ON AN IFR VISUAL APCH INTO BURBANK ARPT, I WAS ADVISED BY APCH CTL NOT TO DSND BELOW 3000 FT TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE AT NEARBY WHITEMAN (WHP) ARPT. THE VECTOR GIVEN ME TO APCH THE ARPT WOULD TAKE ME DIRECTLY OVER WHITEMAN. AS INSTRUCTED, I STOPPED DSNDING AND MAINTAINED 3000 FT, BUT INSTEAD OF TURNING A HARD L TO A R BASE TO INTERCEPT THE EXTENDED RWY CTRLINE OF RWY 15, WHICH I SHOULD HAVE DONE, I CONTINUED STRAIGHT TOWARD THE ARPT. WHEN I WAS QUITE CLOSE TO THE ARPT, AND STILL OVER WHITEMAN AIRSPACE AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE BURBANK TWR, THEY ASKED IF I WAS GOING TO BE 'ABLE TO GET DOWN FROM THERE.' I INTERPED THIS TO MEAN THAT I WAS PAST WHITEMAN AND THEREFORE NOT ONLY AUTH TO, BUT THAT I SHOULD IMMEDIATELY DSND QUICKLY TO BE ABLE TO LAND AT BURBANK. IN RESPONSE, I SAID 'YES, I CAN MAKE IT DOWN,' AND BEGAN A DSCNT. AT THIS POINT, I WAS NOT CLR OF WHITEMAN AIRSPACE. BURBANK TWR THEN CALLED ME AND SAID THAT THEY HAD TOLD ME NOT TO DSND BELOW 3000 FT AND THAT I WAS THEN AT 2500 FT AND IN WHITEMAN AIRSPACE. I CLBED BACK UP, TURNED L TO INTERCEPT THE CTRLINE OF RWY 15 AND STILL MANAGED TO LAND SAFELY AT BURBANK WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS IN MODERATE TURB, UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT, HAVING A HARD TIME VISUALLY ACQUIRING RWY 15 OR THE ARPT IN THE HAZE, THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE CONFUSING TO ME, AND THE VECTOR ANGLE GIVEN ME TO APCH THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT WAS AT A VERY SHARP ANGLE TO RWY 15. PLTS SHOULD NOT BE VECTORED AT SUCH AN ANGLE TO AN ARPT AND THEN BE TOLD THEY ARE 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH' AND THEN ASKED IF THEY 'CAN MAKE IT DOWN FROM THERE' WHEN THOSE INPUTS ARE AT ODDS WITH PRIOR INSTRUCTIONS TO AVOID DSNDING INTO AIRSPACE THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO, BUT EITHER WITHIN, OR CONTIGUOUS WITH, BURBANK'S CLASS C AIRSPACE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE MY INABILITY TO SEE EITHER ARPT IN THE HAZE, MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA, AND THE TURB AND THICK CUMULUS CLOUDS INSIDE OF WHICH I WAS VECTORED IN CIRCLES BEFORE BREAKING OUT, ALL OF WHICH DISTRACTED ME FROM MY USUAL MENTAL FOCUS ON THE APCH AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE ANGLE OF THE APCH AND WHAT THAT WOULD REQUIRE OF ME IN TERMS OF SETTING UP A FINAL APCH.

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.