Narrative:

VFR flight from santa monica to hayward. Initially planned fuel stop, but en route the wristwatch, sight gauges, fuel totalizer, and GPS concurred that continuing to hayward would leave 37 mins of reserve fuel. With oakland and livermore only a few mins away, minimum legal reserves are quite adequate. However, about 1 hour prior to landing, I began to plan for any delays which might occur due to conflicts with san jose arrs or departures. A call to flight watch around 1 hour prior to landing confirmed that 6500 ft was the best altitude according to winds aloft forecasts, so I planned to fly parallel to and northeast of the san jose arrival corridor in order to avoid delays due to vectors. I had VFR advisories from ZOA and norcal approach through the flight. I asked ZOA whether my plan would conflict with san jose arrs, and they said no. Upon contacting norcal approach, I informed them that I wanted to stay at 6500 ft as long as possible. That was a mistake -- I should have clearly stated that direct hayward was a higher priority than maintaining 6500 ft, especially after I checked hayward ATIS about 45 mins prior to lng and found out that there were unforecast tailwinds at the surface. Around reid-hillview, the approach controller issued a vector to 340 degrees for traffic, a B737 departing san jose and turning head-on to my route. I was very surprised because I had been expecting to be issued a descent early enough to avoid such conflicts. I read back the vector, began the turn, and informed the controller that I was 'minimum fuel' for hayward, and requested direct hayward at any altitude. The controller asked whether I was declaring an emergency, which made me a little angry and impatient. I replied in the negative and said I had minimum fuel to reach hayward VFR. The controller gave me on course, restr to 5500 ft. I complied. A few mins later, the controller called the head-on B737, restr to 5000 ft, and I acquired the B737 visually. A few mins later, the controller issued a vector to 360 degrees, maintain 5000 ft. I complied and again asked for any altitude direct to hayward. At this point, I felt the altitude restr was preventing me from just getting out of the way. I was willing to land at reid-hillview to get fuel or descend below the departures, but now the controller's instructions had me headed away from all nearby airports and restr from descending. I was especially frustrated that all of this was occurring outside the class C and class B airspaces. The controller soon gave me my own navigation. I turned back to hayward, acknowledged own navigation, and said 'descending.' I just wanted to get out of the way. The controller immediately responded 'I need you at 5000 ft for a B737 restr to 4000 ft.' I was surprised that the controller had released me from the vector without calling head-on traffic, but I recognize I was wrong -- the controller had not released me from the altitude restr. I was unable to acquire the B737 visually. I don't remember if the controller ever called the B737 as traffic. Soon, the controller released me from the altitude restr, and I began descending rapidly direct to hayward. I landed with 4 gallons of fuel, about 36 mins of fuel at typical cruise burn. It's quite common to arrive in the bay area via this route, so this may come up again. In the future, I will side-step even further to the northeast, over the mountains, as I've observed the san jose departures stay over the santa clara valley until above 10000 ft. I'll plan to cruise in that area at a lower altitude, if feasible, to further reduce the possibility of a conflict. I'll be even more prepared to land at reid-hillview or divert to livermore to get fuel rather than negotiating the complex san jose/oakland airspace with minimum fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AA-1 PLT HAD MINIMUM SEPARATION FROM A DEPARTING B737. THE PLT WAS REQUIRED TO DECLARE MINIMUM FUEL WHEN HE CANCELED HIS PLANNED ENRTE FUEL STOP.

Narrative: VFR FLT FROM SANTA MONICA TO HAYWARD. INITIALLY PLANNED FUEL STOP, BUT ENRTE THE WRISTWATCH, SIGHT GAUGES, FUEL TOTALIZER, AND GPS CONCURRED THAT CONTINUING TO HAYWARD WOULD LEAVE 37 MINS OF RESERVE FUEL. WITH OAKLAND AND LIVERMORE ONLY A FEW MINS AWAY, MINIMUM LEGAL RESERVES ARE QUITE ADEQUATE. HOWEVER, ABOUT 1 HR PRIOR TO LNDG, I BEGAN TO PLAN FOR ANY DELAYS WHICH MIGHT OCCUR DUE TO CONFLICTS WITH SAN JOSE ARRS OR DEPS. A CALL TO FLT WATCH AROUND 1 HR PRIOR TO LNDG CONFIRMED THAT 6500 FT WAS THE BEST ALT ACCORDING TO WINDS ALOFT FORECASTS, SO I PLANNED TO FLY PARALLEL TO AND NE OF THE SAN JOSE ARR CORRIDOR IN ORDER TO AVOID DELAYS DUE TO VECTORS. I HAD VFR ADVISORIES FROM ZOA AND NORCAL APCH THROUGH THE FLT. I ASKED ZOA WHETHER MY PLAN WOULD CONFLICT WITH SAN JOSE ARRS, AND THEY SAID NO. UPON CONTACTING NORCAL APCH, I INFORMED THEM THAT I WANTED TO STAY AT 6500 FT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THAT WAS A MISTAKE -- I SHOULD HAVE CLRLY STATED THAT DIRECT HAYWARD WAS A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN MAINTAINING 6500 FT, ESPECIALLY AFTER I CHKED HAYWARD ATIS ABOUT 45 MINS PRIOR TO LNG AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE WERE UNFORECAST TAILWINDS AT THE SURFACE. AROUND REID-HILLVIEW, THE APCH CTLR ISSUED A VECTOR TO 340 DEGS FOR TFC, A B737 DEPARTING SAN JOSE AND TURNING HEAD-ON TO MY RTE. I WAS VERY SURPRISED BECAUSE I HAD BEEN EXPECTING TO BE ISSUED A DSCNT EARLY ENOUGH TO AVOID SUCH CONFLICTS. I READ BACK THE VECTOR, BEGAN THE TURN, AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WAS 'MINIMUM FUEL' FOR HAYWARD, AND REQUESTED DIRECT HAYWARD AT ANY ALT. THE CTLR ASKED WHETHER I WAS DECLARING AN EMER, WHICH MADE ME A LITTLE ANGRY AND IMPATIENT. I REPLIED IN THE NEGATIVE AND SAID I HAD MINIMUM FUEL TO REACH HAYWARD VFR. THE CTLR GAVE ME ON COURSE, RESTR TO 5500 FT. I COMPLIED. A FEW MINS LATER, THE CTLR CALLED THE HEAD-ON B737, RESTR TO 5000 FT, AND I ACQUIRED THE B737 VISUALLY. A FEW MINS LATER, THE CTLR ISSUED A VECTOR TO 360 DEGS, MAINTAIN 5000 FT. I COMPLIED AND AGAIN ASKED FOR ANY ALT DIRECT TO HAYWARD. AT THIS POINT, I FELT THE ALT RESTR WAS PREVENTING ME FROM JUST GETTING OUT OF THE WAY. I WAS WILLING TO LAND AT REID-HILLVIEW TO GET FUEL OR DSND BELOW THE DEPS, BUT NOW THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS HAD ME HEADED AWAY FROM ALL NEARBY ARPTS AND RESTR FROM DSNDING. I WAS ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATED THAT ALL OF THIS WAS OCCURRING OUTSIDE THE CLASS C AND CLASS B AIRSPACES. THE CTLR SOON GAVE ME MY OWN NAV. I TURNED BACK TO HAYWARD, ACKNOWLEDGED OWN NAV, AND SAID 'DSNDING.' I JUST WANTED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. THE CTLR IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED 'I NEED YOU AT 5000 FT FOR A B737 RESTR TO 4000 FT.' I WAS SURPRISED THAT THE CTLR HAD RELEASED ME FROM THE VECTOR WITHOUT CALLING HEAD-ON TFC, BUT I RECOGNIZE I WAS WRONG -- THE CTLR HAD NOT RELEASED ME FROM THE ALT RESTR. I WAS UNABLE TO ACQUIRE THE B737 VISUALLY. I DON'T REMEMBER IF THE CTLR EVER CALLED THE B737 AS TFC. SOON, THE CTLR RELEASED ME FROM THE ALT RESTR, AND I BEGAN DSNDING RAPIDLY DIRECT TO HAYWARD. I LANDED WITH 4 GALLONS OF FUEL, ABOUT 36 MINS OF FUEL AT TYPICAL CRUISE BURN. IT'S QUITE COMMON TO ARRIVE IN THE BAY AREA VIA THIS RTE, SO THIS MAY COME UP AGAIN. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL SIDE-STEP EVEN FURTHER TO THE NE, OVER THE MOUNTAINS, AS I'VE OBSERVED THE SAN JOSE DEPS STAY OVER THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY UNTIL ABOVE 10000 FT. I'LL PLAN TO CRUISE IN THAT AREA AT A LOWER ALT, IF FEASIBLE, TO FURTHER REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF A CONFLICT. I'LL BE EVEN MORE PREPARED TO LAND AT REID-HILLVIEW OR DIVERT TO LIVERMORE TO GET FUEL RATHER THAN NEGOTIATING THE COMPLEX SAN JOSE/OAKLAND AIRSPACE WITH MINIMUM FUEL.

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.