Narrative:

I was on a return trip from marathon, fl, to pompano beach, fl. On the trip from pompano to marathon, I received radar services from miami approach control through fll class C airspace and through mia class B airspace. While going through fll class C airspace, they instructed me to stay at or below 500 ft along the shoreline. This made me very uncomfortable since there was a lot of other traffic at or below 500 ft along the shoreline (banner towers, other VFR transitions), and being that low really limits any options in case of an emergency. However, I proceeded through without incident all the way to marathon and landed safely. On the return trip back to pompano, I decided I didn't want to do that again, so I planned on overflying mia class B at 7500 ft (mia class B ceiling is 7000 ft), descending down to 5500 ft when over fll class C (fll class C ceiling is 4000 ft) and contacting mia approach for a clearance to descend further into pompano. I proceeded as planned, overflew mia at 7500 ft, continued flying north until I thought I was about 1 mi north of north perry and clear of mia class B. Turns out I had idented the wrong airport, and I was only about 1 mi north of opa locka and still in class B. I descended as planned to 5500 ft and contacted mia approach for a clearance to descend further through fll class C airspace. They then advised me that I was still in class B airspace and gave me a phone number for me to call once I landed. I received radar services from there on and proceeded to pompano beach without incident. I immediately called the phone number and explained to the controller what happened and apologized. He advised me how it could have been a lot worse if they had to divert traffic or even scramble military jets to intercept me. In the end, I learned valuable lesson that could have been a very expensive one. The biggest contributing factor here was my confusion of the many airports in the mia area and thinking I was just north of perry (and clear of class B), when in fact I was just north of opa locka and still in class B. However, another factor was my reluctance to receive radar services from mia approach in fear that they would again want me at or below 500 ft along the shoreline. I am an instrument rated pilot and have no problem with talking to approach control for radar services, but being this low along the shoreline makes me very uncomfortable because of all the other traffic in that same area. This reluctance to fly 500 ft along the shoreline is also due to the fact that there was a recent midair collision between pompano beech and boca raton along the shoreline a few months ago. I had just recently purchased this airplane I wanted to get more experience in it before flying along at 500 ft. Corrective action here would be to strongly discourage the practice of vectoring airplanes at or below 500 ft along the shoreline. I believe this is an extremely dangerous practice and is just asking for another midair collision along the shoreline. This also puts the people on the beach at risk because if a pilot experiences engine trouble, he or she will most likely attempt an emergency landing on the beach which could be a disaster for a crowded beach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C150 PLT RELUCTANT TO FLY AT 500 FT ALONG THE MIAMI SHORELINE, ATTEMPTS FLT OVER MIA CLASS B AND INADVERTENTLY ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS ON A RETURN TRIP FROM MARATHON, FL, TO POMPANO BEACH, FL. ON THE TRIP FROM POMPANO TO MARATHON, I RECEIVED RADAR SVCS FROM MIAMI APCH CTL THROUGH FLL CLASS C AIRSPACE AND THROUGH MIA CLASS B AIRSPACE. WHILE GOING THROUGH FLL CLASS C AIRSPACE, THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO STAY AT OR BELOW 500 FT ALONG THE SHORELINE. THIS MADE ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE SINCE THERE WAS A LOT OF OTHER TFC AT OR BELOW 500 FT ALONG THE SHORELINE (BANNER TWRS, OTHER VFR TRANSITIONS), AND BEING THAT LOW REALLY LIMITS ANY OPTIONS IN CASE OF AN EMER. HOWEVER, I PROCEEDED THROUGH WITHOUT INCIDENT ALL THE WAY TO MARATHON AND LANDED SAFELY. ON THE RETURN TRIP BACK TO POMPANO, I DECIDED I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN, SO I PLANNED ON OVERFLYING MIA CLASS B AT 7500 FT (MIA CLASS B CEILING IS 7000 FT), DSNDING DOWN TO 5500 FT WHEN OVER FLL CLASS C (FLL CLASS C CEILING IS 4000 FT) AND CONTACTING MIA APCH FOR A CLRNC TO DSND FURTHER INTO POMPANO. I PROCEEDED AS PLANNED, OVERFLEW MIA AT 7500 FT, CONTINUED FLYING N UNTIL I THOUGHT I WAS ABOUT 1 MI N OF NORTH PERRY AND CLR OF MIA CLASS B. TURNS OUT I HAD IDENTED THE WRONG ARPT, AND I WAS ONLY ABOUT 1 MI N OF OPA LOCKA AND STILL IN CLASS B. I DSNDED AS PLANNED TO 5500 FT AND CONTACTED MIA APCH FOR A CLRNC TO DSND FURTHER THROUGH FLL CLASS C AIRSPACE. THEY THEN ADVISED ME THAT I WAS STILL IN CLASS B AIRSPACE AND GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER FOR ME TO CALL ONCE I LANDED. I RECEIVED RADAR SVCS FROM THERE ON AND PROCEEDED TO POMPANO BEACH WITHOUT INCIDENT. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER AND EXPLAINED TO THE CTLR WHAT HAPPENED AND APOLOGIZED. HE ADVISED ME HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE IF THEY HAD TO DIVERT TFC OR EVEN SCRAMBLE MIL JETS TO INTERCEPT ME. IN THE END, I LEARNED VALUABLE LESSON THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY EXPENSIVE ONE. THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR HERE WAS MY CONFUSION OF THE MANY ARPTS IN THE MIA AREA AND THINKING I WAS JUST N OF PERRY (AND CLR OF CLASS B), WHEN IN FACT I WAS JUST N OF OPA LOCKA AND STILL IN CLASS B. HOWEVER, ANOTHER FACTOR WAS MY RELUCTANCE TO RECEIVE RADAR SVCS FROM MIA APCH IN FEAR THAT THEY WOULD AGAIN WANT ME AT OR BELOW 500 FT ALONG THE SHORELINE. I AM AN INST RATED PLT AND HAVE NO PROB WITH TALKING TO APCH CTL FOR RADAR SVCS, BUT BEING THIS LOW ALONG THE SHORELINE MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE OF ALL THE OTHER TFC IN THAT SAME AREA. THIS RELUCTANCE TO FLY 500 FT ALONG THE SHORELINE IS ALSO DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A RECENT MIDAIR COLLISION BTWN POMPANO BEECH AND BOCA RATON ALONG THE SHORELINE A FEW MONTHS AGO. I HAD JUST RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS AIRPLANE I WANTED TO GET MORE EXPERIENCE IN IT BEFORE FLYING ALONG AT 500 FT. CORRECTIVE ACTION HERE WOULD BE TO STRONGLY DISCOURAGE THE PRACTICE OF VECTORING AIRPLANES AT OR BELOW 500 FT ALONG THE SHORELINE. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRACTICE AND IS JUST ASKING FOR ANOTHER MIDAIR COLLISION ALONG THE SHORELINE. THIS ALSO PUTS THE PEOPLE ON THE BEACH AT RISK BECAUSE IF A PLT EXPERIENCES ENG TROUBLE, HE OR SHE WILL MOST LIKELY ATTEMPT AN EMER LNDG ON THE BEACH WHICH COULD BE A DISASTER FOR A CROWDED BEACH.

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.