D01 RADAR APCH CTLR BELIEVED THAT A C182 DSNDING INTO APA AIRSPACE FOR LNDG DID NOT HAVE DSCNT CLRNC THROUGH D01 CLASS B AIRSPACE. PLT REMINDED ATC THAT HE WAS CLRED THROUGH AND INSTRUCTED TO SQUAWK VFR.

Narrative

I WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN FROM GKY; TX; TO APA; CO; AT 10500 FT; WITH FLT FOLLOWING AND APPROX 10 MI SE OF DENVER CLASS B AIRSPACE. THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL FOREST FIRE SW OF DENVER; AND THE SMOKE PLUME WAS BTWN MY POS AND CENTENNIAL. THERE APPEARED TO BE APPROX 5 MI VISIBILITY THROUGH THE PLUME. DENVER APCH WAS VERY BUSY. AS I APCHED CLASS B AIRSPACE; THERE WAS LITTLE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH ATC FOR CLRNC; SO I STARTED TO DIVERT TO THE W TO AVOID ENTERING CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. ATC SAID SOMETHING THAT I HEARD AS; 'DSND BELOW 9000 FT TO AVOID CLASS B AIRSPACE;' BUT AT MY REQUEST THE CTLR REPEATED WHAT HE HAD SAID; WHICH WAS 'CLRED TO DSND BELOW 9000 FT THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE.' SO ; I RESUMED ON COURSE NAV TO CENTENNIAL; AND BEGAN MY DSCNT. SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING CLASS B AIRSPACE; AND BEFORE I HAD COMPLETED MY DSCNT; ATC SAID; 'RADAR SVCS TERMINATED; SQUAWK VFR;' WHICH; OF COURSE; I DID. AT THAT POINT I WAS STILL A FEW MI FROM CENTENNIAL; AND QUITE HIGH. CENTENNIAL TWR WAS ALSO VERY BUSY; AND I HAD TROUBLE GETTING THROUGH. TO AVOID ENTERING CENTENNIAL'S CLASS D AIRSPACE; I CIRCLED TO THE E; TOWARDS AURORA RESERVOIR. BECAUSE OF THE MVFR VISIBILITY (FROM THE SMOKE); I WAS RELUCTANT TO DSND TO PATTERN ALT WHILE I WAS SO FAR FROM THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT. I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO SPEAK WITH CENTENNIAL TWR; AND TOLD TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17L; AND RPT ABEAM THE TWR. (I CREATED SOME CONFUSION IN MY INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE TWR BY RPTING MYSELF W INSTEAD OF E OF THE ARPT -- A WORD MIXUP. WHEN TWR SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T SEE ME W; I REALIZED MY MISTAKE AND CORRECTED IT. AT THAT POINT; I WAS STILL ALMOST 10 MI FROM THE ARPT.) I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER LNDG; TWR ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ON THE RADIO; AND I THEN (ON MY OWN VOLITION) CALLED AND SPOKE FURTHER WITH TWR ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. IT APPEARS THAT AFTER MY RADAR SVCS WERE TERMINATED; AND AFTER I CHANGED MY SQUAWK CODE TO 1200; I SHOWED UP ON DENVER APCH RADAR AS A VFR ACFT IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. THE APCH CTLR APPARENTLY FORGOT THAT I HAD BEEN CLRED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE; SO HE CALLED CENTENNIAL TWR TO IDENT ME; AND TO HAVE ME QUESTIONED ABOUT WHY I WAS IN CLASS B AIRSPACE WITH A VFR SQUAWK CODE. TWR THOUGHT THAT THE PROB HAD ARISEN BECAUSE MY RADAR SVCS WERE TERMINATED PREMATURELY. MY THOUGHT ON THE MATTER IS THAT SINCE I WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN; I COULD BE TERMINATED AT ANY POINT. I BELIEVED THAT MY CLRNC TO DSND THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS A CLRNC INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE; AND THEN DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THE MATTER ANY FURTHER. I WAS RATHER SURPRISED WHEN THE CTLR TERMINATED ME; BUT I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND (AND WILL NEXT TIME) TO ASK IF I WAS STILL CLRED THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE. NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT; I'M NOT SURE THAT A CLRNC TO 'DSND THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE TO 9000 FT' IS A CLRNC TO REMAIN IN CLASS B AIRSPACE AFTER RADAR SVCS ARE TERMINATED. WHILE I THINK THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BIT MORE SPECIFIC; THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR CLARIFYING THE SIT WAS ON ME; THE PIC; AND I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON WHETHER I WAS CLRED TO REMAIN IN CLASS B AIRSPACE WHILE MANEUVERING E OF CENTENNIAL. NEXT TIME; I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL TO CLARIFY ANY AMBIGUITIES.