Narrative:

I was flying the aircraft just out of sna. I was cleared to climb to 4500 ft MSL. Then about 5 mins later, I was handed off to lax approach and cleared inside the class B airspace and immediately cleared down to 2500 ft MSL. They told me to keep my right wing over the beach, as I was trying to figure out if they meant literally over the beach or hypothetically as a visual aid looking from the left side to the right side of the aircraft, I busted altitude by 300 ft. As I was correcting for altitude, lax approach came on and said: climb back to 2500 ft. I said: roger, we're in the process. Lax: you were cleared only to 2500 ft, you were not cleared for your VFR descent into smo. I said: roger, cleared to 2500 ft and above. Lax: cleared class B airspace squawk VFR. I said: roger. I then contacted smo tower, and after landing they told me to contact by phone lax approach, which I did. They told me that I busted altitude and that it was going to be turned over to the local FSDO as a class B violation. Note: in all my time of flying around the lax area, that was the first time I've ever done the shoreline transition. I guess I was expecting a little help from lax.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC, UNDER CTL BY TRACON AND ASSIGNED ALT, RPTR CAPT DSNDED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. CTLR INTERVENED AND RPTR CLBED BACK TO ASSIGNED. APPARENTLY RPTR THOUGHT HE COULD COMMENCE DSCNT INTO HIS DEST ARPT. RPTR TOLD TO CONTACT ATC BY TELEPHONE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING THE ACFT JUST OUT OF SNA. I WAS CLRED TO CLB TO 4500 FT MSL. THEN ABOUT 5 MINS LATER, I WAS HANDED OFF TO LAX APCH AND CLRED INSIDE THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND IMMEDIATELY CLRED DOWN TO 2500 FT MSL. THEY TOLD ME TO KEEP MY R WING OVER THE BEACH, AS I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY MEANT LITERALLY OVER THE BEACH OR HYPOTHETICALLY AS A VISUAL AID LOOKING FROM THE L SIDE TO THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT, I BUSTED ALT BY 300 FT. AS I WAS CORRECTING FOR ALT, LAX APCH CAME ON AND SAID: CLB BACK TO 2500 FT. I SAID: ROGER, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS. LAX: YOU WERE CLRED ONLY TO 2500 FT, YOU WERE NOT CLRED FOR YOUR VFR DSCNT INTO SMO. I SAID: ROGER, CLRED TO 2500 FT AND ABOVE. LAX: CLRED CLASS B AIRSPACE SQUAWK VFR. I SAID: ROGER. I THEN CONTACTED SMO TWR, AND AFTER LNDG THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT BY PHONE LAX APCH, WHICH I DID. THEY TOLD ME THAT I BUSTED ALT AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE TURNED OVER TO THE LCL FSDO AS A CLASS B VIOLATION. NOTE: IN ALL MY TIME OF FLYING AROUND THE LAX AREA, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER DONE THE SHORELINE TRANSITION. I GUESS I WAS EXPECTING A LITTLE HELP FROM LAX.

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.