Narrative:

On night flight with private pilot earning his night flying privileges the following occurred. Our aircraft departed bow (bartow) on a heading towards the southwest. Pilot contacted lal (lakeland) and requested permission to transition their airspace. Lal ATC advised us to fly over lal airport and report (heading altered to right wnw). Pilot complied and shortly after was advised to contact tpa approach control. Upon establishing contact with tpa approach pilot was advised of squawk code and to fly a heading of west (270 degrees) and maintain 2500 ft. Pilot complied with these instructions. The instructions given by tpa approach lead aircraft directly to tpa international. These instructions were given approximately 1 mi east of plant city airport. This aircraft experienced a near miss approximately 1-2 mi south of tpa international. Controller was contacted and he advised that he was not picking up our transponder and to remain clear of class B airspace. Pilot was already well into class B airspace due to vectors given by this controller and understood he was cleared into tpa international airspace. Shortly after near miss, ATC controller advised pilot to contact tpa approach on new sector frequency. Transponder signal was picked up fine and this controller advised student pilot to call tpa approach tower upon landing at destination. Student pilot complied, was advised of near miss and violation of class B airspace. This problem arose due to pilot complying with controller's assigned heading (270 degrees). Contributing factors include lal ATC altering aircraft heading to right of course to overfly lal airport, pilot understanding he was cleared into class B airspace due to assigned heading and transponder code while reporting over plant city, (proximity issue) failure to identify/locate tpa international prior to a near miss. Corrective action: pilot should have queried ATC to verify radar contact prior to entering class B, initial tpa approach controller should have advised aircraft to remain outside of class B airspace if radar (secondary) was not picking up transponder. Because the controller he passed our aircraft off to, picked up transponder code, I question this.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT WITH A FOREIGN PVT PLT GETTING NIGHT CURRENCY, ON A RADAR VECTOR FROM TPA APCH CTL, FLEW INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT A CLRNC AND HAD A NMAC.

Narrative: ON NIGHT FLT WITH PVT PLT EARNING HIS NIGHT FLYING PRIVILEGES THE FOLLOWING OCCURRED. OUR ACFT DEPARTED BOW (BARTOW) ON A HEADING TOWARDS THE SW. PLT CONTACTED LAL (LAKELAND) AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO TRANSITION THEIR AIRSPACE. LAL ATC ADVISED US TO FLY OVER LAL ARPT AND RPT (HEADING ALTERED TO R WNW). PLT COMPLIED AND SHORTLY AFTER WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT TPA APCH CTL. UPON ESTABLISHING CONTACT WITH TPA APCH PLT WAS ADVISED OF SQUAWK CODE AND TO FLY A HDG OF W (270 DEGS) AND MAINTAIN 2500 FT. PLT COMPLIED WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS. THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY TPA APCH LEAD ACFT DIRECTLY TO TPA INTL. THESE INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN APPROX 1 MI E OF PLANT CITY ARPT. THIS ACFT EXPERIENCED A NEAR MISS APPROX 1-2 MI S OF TPA INTL. CTLR WAS CONTACTED AND HE ADVISED THAT HE WAS NOT PICKING UP OUR XPONDER AND TO REMAIN CLR OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. PLT WAS ALREADY WELL INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE DUE TO VECTORS GIVEN BY THIS CTLR AND UNDERSTOOD HE WAS CLRED INTO TPA INTL AIRSPACE. SHORTLY AFTER NEAR MISS, ATC CTLR ADVISED PLT TO CONTACT TPA APCH ON NEW SECTOR FREQ. XPONDER SIGNAL WAS PICKED UP FINE AND THIS CTLR ADVISED STUDENT PLT TO CALL TPA APCH TWR UPON LNDG AT DEST. STUDENT PLT COMPLIED, WAS ADVISED OF NEAR MISS AND VIOLATION OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. THIS PROB AROSE DUE TO PLT COMPLYING WITH CTLR'S ASSIGNED HDG (270 DEGS). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE LAL ATC ALTERING ACFT HEADING TO R OF COURSE TO OVERFLY LAL ARPT, PLT UNDERSTANDING HE WAS CLRED INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE DUE TO ASSIGNED HDG AND XPONDER CODE WHILE RPTING OVER PLANT CITY, (PROX ISSUE) FAILURE TO IDENT/LOCATE TPA INTL PRIOR TO A NEAR MISS. CORRECTIVE ACTION: PLT SHOULD HAVE QUERIED ATC TO VERIFY RADAR CONTACT PRIOR TO ENTERING CLASS B, INITIAL TPA APCH CTLR SHOULD HAVE ADVISED ACFT TO REMAIN OUTSIDE OF CLASS B AIRSPACE IF RADAR (SECONDARY) WAS NOT PICKING UP XPONDER. BECAUSE THE CTLR HE PASSED OUR ACFT OFF TO, PICKED UP XPONDER CODE, I QUESTION THIS.

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.