Narrative:

I was returning to the bay area from columbia, ca. My destination was san carlos airport. I was 2 mi west of livermore airport, when I tuned in hwd ATIS, and discovered that hwd's air traffic area had 4 mi visibility and a ceiling of 800 ft. I decided to fly around the stratus by flying south over the city of fremont. I inadvertently flew into the san jose class C and I missed colliding with a business jet by about 1/2 mi, by rolling into a climbing left turn. I contacted bay approach and requested a clearance through the class C airspace en route to san carlos. Approach advised me that he had to vector traffic around me for collision avoidance. He also advised me that I was 2 mi east of moffett when the near midair occurred. I was then given a transponder code to squawk and clearance through the class C airspace. No further problems were encountered flying back to sql. I should have contacted bay approach earlier, and requested a clearance through the san francisco class B airspace, so that I could have flown on top of the broken stratus clouds, and I should have kept better track of my position with regard to sjc class C airspace, too.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PLT EXPERIENCED POSITIONAL AWARENESS LOSS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TRAVERSE BAY APCH AIRSPACE IN MVFR CONDITIONS. AFTER INADVERTENTLY ENTERING CLASS C, THE PLT HAD AN NMAC WITH A BUSINESS JET.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING TO THE BAY AREA FROM COLUMBIA, CA. MY DEST WAS SAN CARLOS ARPT. I WAS 2 MI W OF LIVERMORE ARPT, WHEN I TUNED IN HWD ATIS, AND DISCOVERED THAT HWD'S ATA HAD 4 MI VISIBILITY AND A CEILING OF 800 FT. I DECIDED TO FLY AROUND THE STRATUS BY FLYING S OVER THE CITY OF FREMONT. I INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO THE SAN JOSE CLASS C AND I MISSED COLLIDING WITH A BUSINESS JET BY ABOUT 1/2 MI, BY ROLLING INTO A CLBING L TURN. I CONTACTED BAY APCH AND REQUESTED A CLRNC THROUGH THE CLASS C AIRSPACE ENRTE TO SAN CARLOS. APCH ADVISED ME THAT HE HAD TO VECTOR TFC AROUND ME FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE. HE ALSO ADVISED ME THAT I WAS 2 MI E OF MOFFETT WHEN THE NEAR MIDAIR OCCURRED. I WAS THEN GIVEN A XPONDER CODE TO SQUAWK AND CLRNC THROUGH THE CLASS C AIRSPACE. NO FURTHER PROBS WERE ENCOUNTERED FLYING BACK TO SQL. I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED BAY APCH EARLIER, AND REQUESTED A CLRNC THROUGH THE SAN FRANCISCO CLASS B AIRSPACE, SO THAT I COULD HAVE FLOWN ON TOP OF THE BROKEN STRATUS CLOUDS, AND I SHOULD HAVE KEPT BETTER TRACK OF MY POS WITH REGARD TO SJC CLASS C AIRSPACE, TOO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.