PF A PA28 FROM APC STRAYS INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE ENRTE TO RHV.

Narrative

ON A DAY/VFR TRIP; RETURNING FROM APC TO RHV; I FLEW INTO SFO'S CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT AN ATC CLRNC. I HAD FLOWN TO NAPA WITH 2 FRIENDS ON A PLEASURE FLT FOR LUNCH. THE WX WAS VERY HAZY AND THERE WAS AN OVCST OVER MOST OF THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA; ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WERE CLR WHERE WE WERE FLYING. I AM BASED AT RHV AND HAVE FLOWN AROUND THE OAKLAND AREA ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; OFTEN AS PART OF A SO-CALLED 'BAY TOUR' TRIP AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BUT ALSO TRANSITIONING UNDER OR THROUGH THE LCL CLASS B ON TRIPS TO DESTS FURTHER N SUCH AS SANTA ROSA AND MENDOCINO. I AM INST RATED; FEEL COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH ATC; AND HAVE USUALLY RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FROM BAY APCH IN THE AREA. I HAD FLOWN FROM RHV TO APC IFR BECAUSE OF RPTED OVCST AT APC BUT IT WAS CLR WHEN WE ARRIVED; SO I PLANNED TO FLY BACK VFR TO SEE IF WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO OVERFLY SAN FRANCISCO. MY WX UPDATE RPTED 1000-1300 FT OVCST OVER SFO; HOWEVER; SO I DECIDED TO FLY BACK ALONG A MORE DIRECT RTE; FOLLOWING THE HILLS ALONG THE COAST BECAUSE I REMEMBERED PAST ROUTINGS HAD TAKEN ME RIGHT ALONG THE HILLS UNDER THE SHELF OF THE 4500 FT/8000 FT SHELF OF SFO'S CLASS B. I THOUGHT STAYING CLOSE TO THE HILLS WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO HELP ME REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. I EXPECTED TO MERELY STRAY INTO THE 4500 FT/8000 FT SEGMENT (20 NM FROM SFO) AND THOUGHT STAYING CLOSE TO THE HILLS WOULD KEEP ME WELL CLR OF THE 3000 FT/8000 FT SEGMENT (15 NM). IN THE BACK OF MY MIND I'D PLANNED TO REQUEST FLT FOLLOWING EARLY AND REQUEST A CLRNC TO TRANSITION THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT A HIGHER ALT. CONSEQUENTLY I WASN'T SUFFICIENTLY CONCERNED ABOUT REMAINING OUTSIDE THE BORDERS OF THE 3000 FT/8000 FT SEGMENT. I WAS LATE GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT BAY APCH CTLR AND THE FIRST HINT OF SOMETHING WRONG WAS A STERN REMINDER FROM ATC AND AN IMMEDIATE VECTOR E AND A COMMAND TO DSND TO CLR THE CLASS B SEGMENT. THERE ARE MANY THINGS I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS: I HAD DME ONBOARD AND COULD HAVE KEPT IT TUNED TO SFO TO STAY OUTSIDE ITS 15 NM RING (THE LIMITS OF THE 3000 FT/8000 FT SEGMENT). IF I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF REMAINING CLR OF THE 15 NM RING I ALSO COULD HAVE DRAWN A XRADIAL FROM SGD VOR THAT WOULD HAVE KEPT ME CLR OF CLASS B AIRSPACE AT MY PLANNED ALT. THE FINAL IRONY IS THAT I HAD A RECENTLY ACQUIRED; HIGHLY CAPABLE GPS ON BOARD (GARMIN GPS MAP 195) WHICH DISPLAYED CLASS B AIRSPACE SEGMENTS ALONG WITH GND FEATURES. MINDFUL OF THE STORIES OF ACCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE A NEW GPS KEPT THE PLT'S EYES INSIDE THE COCKPIT RATHER THAN OUTSIDE IN VFR CONDITIONS I CONSCIOUSLY AVOIDED PAYING TOO MUCH DETAILED ATTN TO IT. THIS WAS JUST CRM AT ITS WORST.