THE RPTR WAS VECTORED BY LAS APCH THROUGH THE CLASS B AIRSPACE TO A POINT THE RPTR THOUGHT HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. DUE TO DISORIENTATION THE RPTR INADVERTENTLY RE- ENTERED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE APCHING HENDERSON THINKING HE WAS APCHING BOULDER. HE MADE AN IMMEDIATE L TURN LEAVING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.
Synopsis
THE RPTR WAS VECTORED BY LAS APCH THROUGH THE CLASS B AIRSPACE TO A POINT THE RPTR THOUGHT HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. DUE TO DISORIENTATION THE RPTR INADVERTENTLY RE- ENTERED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE APCHING HENDERSON THINKING HE WAS APCHING BOULDER. HE MADE AN IMMEDIATE L TURN LEAVING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE.
Narrative
I WAS FLYING MY CESSNA TURBO 310P ON A VFR FLT PLAN FROM 1V5; CO; TO 61B; NV. ON APCHING LAS CLASS B AIRSPACE AT 14500 FT; I RADIOED LAS APCH REQUESTING CLRNC INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I RECEIVED CLRNC INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO DSND. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I WAS VECTORED FOR TFC. AFTER MY LAST VECTOR I WAS FLYING A HDG OF APPROX 270 DEGS AND BELIEVED THAT 61B WOULD BE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME. AT ABOUT 13 NM FROM THE LAS VOR ON ABOUT THE 90 DEG RADIAL; THE CTLR ASKED; 'DO YOU HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT?' I ANSWERED; 'I THINK SO.' AT THAT POINT I WAS ASKED TO SQUAWK 1200; RESUME OWN NAV TO 61B; AND A FREQ CHANGE WAS APPROVED. I CONTINUED TO FLY A HDG OF APPROX 270 DEGS UNTIL I REALIZED THAT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE ARPT WAS NOT. AT THAT POINT I MUST HAVE BEEN OVER THE TOWN OF HENDERSON WHERE THE CLASS B AIRSPACE GOES TO THE SURFACE. UPON RECOGNIZING THAT I WAS NOT APCHING 61B; I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A SHARP L TURN; AND HEADED BACK; ULTIMATELY IN THE DIRECTION OF 61B. IF I WAS IN FACT OVER HENDERSON; AND WITHIN 10 NM OF THE LAS VOR; I WAS THEN IN A LOCATION WHERE THE CLASS B AIRSPACE STARTED AT THE SURFACE. ADMITTEDLY I HAD A CLRNC; BUT BECAUSE I WAS ASKED TO SQUAWK 1200; I BELIEVE THE CTLR DID NOT EXPECT ME TO ENTER THAT SECTOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A VIOLATION OF THE FARS; BUT IT CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. EVEN THOUGH THE WX WAS CLR VMC; I HAD LOST POSITIONAL AWARENESS DUE TO BEING VECTORED SEVERAL TIMES AND MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE LAS AREA. I SHOULD HAVE RELIED MORE ON MY GPS AND LESS ON THE CTLR FOR SETTING UP THE APCH ON RWY 61B. HOWEVER; I BELIEVE THERE WAS ALSO SOME CTLR ERROR INVOLVED ALSO. I HAD BEEN FLYING THE SAME HDG FOR SEVERAL MINS WHEN SHE ASKED IF I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT; BUT BY THIS TIME 61B MUST HAVE BEEN BEHIND ME ON MY L AND BEHIND SOME HILLS. GIVEN WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN MY POS; THIS QUERY MAKES NO SENSE. THIS AND A TA OF TFC THAT WAS MUCH CLOSER THAN STATED IN THE ADVISORY MAKES ME SUSPECT THAT THE CTLR WAS CONFUSING ME WITH ANOTHER ACFT. REGRETTABLY; I HAVE NO GENERAL SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAKE; OTHER THAN TO MYSELF: MAINTAIN POSITIONAL AWARENESS AT ALL TIMES; AND BE QUICK TO QUERY CTLRS WHEN THINGS DON'T SEEM QUITE RIGHT.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.