PLT OF A PIPER PA12 INADVERTENTLY ENTERED THE MRI CLASS D AIRSPACE WHILE TRANSITING THROUGH TO NEARBY LAKE HOOD; CAUSING ALARM TO THE PLT OF A C182 BY CONVERGING WITHIN 500 FT OF IT.

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THE CIRCUMSTANCES DISCUSSED BELOW OCCURRED DURING A FLT CONDUCTED AT APPROX XA00 HRS ON SEP/XA/00; DURING THE CRUISE PART OF A LCL VFR FLT. I WAS FLYING FROM THE MOUNTAINS NE OF ANCHORAGE; AK; AT 1000 FT MSL; PROCEEDING DIRECT TO LAKE HOOD STRIP (ANCHORAGE; AK) IN A WHEEL-EQUIPPED 1947 PIPER PA12 CRUISING AT APPROX 95 MPH. THE WX WAS NEAR PERFECT: VERY HIGH SCATTERED CLOUDS; UNRESTR VISIBILITY; DAYLIGHT; AND LESS THAN 10 KTS SURFACE WIND. DURING THE FLT DESCRIBED; I INADVERTENTLY ENTERED THE SE CORNER OF THE MERRILL FIELD (ANCHORAGE; AK; TERMINAL AREA) CTL SEGMENT. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON; I FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THAT I WAS ENTERING MERRILL TWR'S AIRSPACE UNTIL AFTER I HAD DONE SO. WHEN I REALIZED WHAT I HAD INADVERTENTLY DONE; I IMMEDIATELY CHKED TO SEE HOW FAR OUTSIDE TFC PATTERN I WAS; IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THAT MY POS POSED NO THREAT TO TKOFS AND LNDGS BEING CONDUCTED AT MERRILL FIELD. THIS BEING CONFIRMED; I ELECTED TO PROCEED ON COURSE; AS I BELIEVED IT WAS AS SAFE TO EXIT MERRILL'S AIRSPACE BY THIS RTE; AS BY ANY OTHER. SHORTLY AFTER DISCOVERING MY ERROR; I IDENTED OTHER SEL TFC (I PRESUMED HAD DEPARTED FROM MERRILL FIELD RWY 15) WHICH I ESTIMATED TO BE 1-2 MI DISTANT AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS; FLYING IN MY GENERAL DIRECTION; AND WHICH I ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE ME. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THAT TFC AS I PROGRESSED TOWARD ENTERING THE EASTERN END OF THE LAKE HOOD SEGMENT (ANCHORAGE TERMINAL AREA);. AS MY FLT CONTINUED; IT BECAME APPARENT TO ME THAT THE OTHER TFC AND I WERE CONVERGING; BUT THAT THERE WAS NO CAUSE FOR UNDUE CONCERN BECAUSE OF WHAT I THEN ESTIMATED AS 300-500 FT OF VERT SEPARATION. I CONTINUED TO MONITOR THAT TFC UNTIL OUR PATHS CROSSED; AT WHICH TIME I AGAIN ESTIMATED OUR SEPARATION AT 300-500 FT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER OUR PATHS CROSSED; MY SON ASKED ME WHAT IN THE WORLD THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS DOING (AS HE HAD BEEN MONITORING ITS POS AS WELL). I ROCKED MY WINGS TO LOOK FOR THE TFC WHICH WAS NOW BEHIND ME. IT APPEARED THAT THE OTHER ACFT; WHICH WAS A WHEEL-EQUIPPED SINGLE ENG CESSNA (EITHER A C172 OR C182 I THOUGHT); HAD DONE A TIGHT; DSNDING L-HAND TURN TO REVERSE COURSE; COMING ALONG SIDE OF ME AT MY 4-5 O'CLOCK POS AND AT MY ALT. HE SLOWED TO FOLLOW ME AT THIS POS FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS; DID SOME MORE STEEPLY BANKED MANEUVERING; AND THEN PROCEEDED ON COURSE TO RETURN TO MERRILL FIELD; THIS TIME IT APPEARED WITH INTENTIONS OF LNDG ON RWY 33. I CONTINUED ON COURSE; EXITED THE MERRILL SEGMENT AS I HAD THEN INTENDED; RPTED AS I ENTERED THE LAKE HOOD SEGMENT (AS I HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED BY LAKE HOOD TWR); AND LANDED ON LAKE HOOD STRIP RWY 31 WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER CLRING THE ACTIVE RWY; THE LAKE HOOD TWR CTLR ASKED ME TO COPY A TELEPHONE NUMBER AND GIVE THE MERRILL CTLR A CALL. AT THAT TIME; HE ADVISED ME TO TELL THE MERRILL CTLR THAT HE HAD ALREADY ADVISED ME TO BE MORE CAREFUL SO AS NOT TO INTRUDE INTO THE MERRILL SEGMENT AS I APCHED THE LAKE HOOD SEGMENT. MY SON AND I TIED DOWN THE AIRPLANE; AND I CALLED MERRILL TWR AS I HAD BEEN ADVISED. THE LADY CTLR QUESTIONED ME ABOUT BEING IN THEIR SEGMENT. I RESPONDED THAT INDEED I HAD MISTAKENLY ENTERED SAID AIRSPACE; AND THAT I WAS VERY SORRY FOR THE MISTAKE. SHE ASKED ME IF I KNEW ANOTHER ACFT HAD BEEN FORCED TO MANEUVER IN ORDER TO AVOID A COLLISION. I RESPONDED THAT I HAD OBSERVED THE TFC WHICH I THOUGHT SHE WAS DESCRIBING; BUT THAT IN POINT OF FACT; THE OTHER ACFT HAD INITIATED MANEUVERS AFTER OUR PATHS HAD CROSSED. REGARDLESS. I REITERATED TO HER THAT I HAD UNINTENTIONALLY ENTERED THE MERRILL SEGMENT; WHICH WAS INDEED WRONG; AND THAT I WAS VERY SORRY FOR THE MISTAKE. WHILE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT ME FROM LOSING TRACK OF MY POS WITH RESPECT TO MERRILL'S CTLED AIRSPACE; I DO KNOW THAT I FEEL HORRIBLE FOR HAVING COMMITTED SUCH A DUMB MISTAKE. I KNOW BETTER THAN DOING WHAT I INADVERTENTLY DID; AND CAN'T IMAGINE HOW I MADE SUCH AN ERROR. REGARDLESS; THIS EVENT CERTAINLY IMPRESSED UPON ME THE NEED TO BE METICULOUSLY CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE.