DISTRACTED BY PROGRAMMING HIS GPS ON A CLR; VMC FLT; M20J PLT VIOLATES SAN CLASS B WHEN INTERIM PAX/PLT FAILS TO REMAIN CLEAR. ENCOUNTER WITH ANOTHER ACFT ENSUES.

Narrative

DEPARTED E FROM MYF AND PROCEEDED ON V66 ON A BORDER CROSSING FLT PLAN. I INTENDED TO STAY BELOW CLASS B UNTIL CLR AND THEN PROCEEDED AT 5500 FT. REASON FOR NOT REQUESTING CLRNC WAS I INTENDED TO MAINTAIN A LOW CRUISING ALT TO ALLOW A REASONABLY HIGH POWER SETTING ON A NEWLY OVERHAULED ENG. THIS ALT IS NOT TYPICAL FOR THIS LOCATION AS THERE IS RELATIVELY HIGH TERRAIN TO THE E. WHILE FIDDLING WITH THE GPS NAV; I TOLD MY PAX; A LICENSED PRIVATE PLT WITH MANY HOURS IN THIS MOONEY; TO MONITOR ALT AND MAINTAIN 5500 FT. UNFORTUNATELY FLOOR OF CLASS B AT THAT LOCATION IS 4800 FT AND I NEGLECTED TO POINT OUT TO THE COPLT THAT WE WERE NOT YET OUT FROM UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE FLOOR. TO COMPOUND THE PROB; THE COPLT 'HEARD' 7500 FT; THE ALT WE WOULD NORMALLY USE ON THAT RTE. I MAINTAINED SOME DEGREE OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS TO KEEP IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRWAY BUT DIDN'T NOTICE THE ALT DEV UNTIL WE WERE PASSING THROUGH 6500 FT AND I SAW A COMMERCIAL JET PASSING OVERHEAD AT A MUCH CLOSER ALT THAN TYPICAL (I'D GUESS THE SEPARATION AT ABOUT 1500 FT). WE RETURNED TO 5500 FT WHICH BY THEN WAS CLEAR OF THE CLASS B. AS TYPICAL OF A NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS OR ACCIDENTS; THERE WERE A SERIES OF REALLY DUMB DECISIONS. THE FIRST STUPID MISTAKE WAS TO NOT FILE FOR THE CLASS B CLRNC. EVEN THOUGH OUR ENRTE ALT WOULD EVENTUALLY BE TOO LOW FOR GOOD COMS; IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO GET US CLR OF THE 4800 FT CLASS B FLOOR. MY ALT DEV WOULD HAVE ALSO BECOME APPARENT TO THE CTLR AND MUCH SOONER. SINCE I USUALLY FILE FOR CLRNC AND DIDN'T THIS TIME; THIS DECISION COULD ALSO FALL INTO THE 'OUT OF SEQUENCE TRAP' CATEGORY. THE SECOND DUMB MISTAKE WAS TUNNEL VISION ON PROGRAMMING THE GPS. THIS WAS NOT URGENT ON A VFR DAY FOR A RTE I COULD FLY HALF ASLEEP. (MAYBE I WAS HALF ASLEEP.) AND FINALLY; ABROGATING MY PIC DUTIES TO MY COPLT WITHOUT A READBACK OF THE DESIRED ALT WAS THE FINAL MISTAKE. AND ALL THAT AFTER 4 HOURS OF TAPES FOR AN IFR UPDATE. MEASURES TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE: FIRST; USE THE SYSTEM. THAT'S WHAT IT'S THERE FOR. THAT WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED. SECOND; FLY THE AIRPLANE FIRST THEN NAVIGATE AND COMMUNICATE. I SHOULD HAVE PROGRAMMED THE GPS BEFORE DEP THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE VIOLATION. I HATE IT WHEN I DO SOMETHING REALLY DUMB.