Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 2600; Flight Crew Type 200
Situational Awareness; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Human Factors; Procedure
NY Approach had cleared me into the Class B airspace for the Hudson River Skyline Route.  I was handed off to Newark Tower and as I navigated up the Hudson River northbound I was handed off to LaGuardia Tower; which is normal procedure.  However; in the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge; LaGuardia informed me that I was leaving their airspace and NY Approach was too busy to take the handoff.  They gave me a frequency for NY App to try.  I tuned to that frequency and the NY App controller said that they were short handed and he was working three sectors and couldn't handle me.  I then descended to below 1;300 feet to stay clear of the lower limit of the Class B Airspace.  As I entered the outer ring of the Class B airspace I began a climb to 2;800 feet to stay below the 3;000 Feet ceiling until clear of the outer ring of the Class B.  I was navigating using [moving map GPS]; EFB and a paper NY TAC Chart.  After I cleared the airspace I began a climb to 5;500 feet and made sure I was clear of the 3;000 feet Class D Airspace ceiling of Westchester Co (HPN) Airport.  As I continued towards Martha's Vineyard I re-established communications with NY App.  Shortly after that I was giver a phone number to call after landing.  Upon calling the number I was told by the supervisor that he had just come in and would have to review the tape but the report was that I had busted the 3;000 foot Class B Airspace and had 'almost taken out [another aircraft]'.  I have traffic avoidance warning on the [GPS] and on my EFB and received no warnings.  I asked him to also review the tape of LaGuardia Tower dumping me in Class B airspace with NY App not being able to handle my flight.  He called me back two hours later and said it appeared that my altitude was 'creeping up' thru the Class B but it didn't appear to be by that much and I wasn't really very close to [the other aircraft].  In regards to NY App not accepting the hand off he said that should not have happened.
A pilot reports of not being able to continue with flight following due to controller workload. The pilot is then advised later that he possibly entered the JFK Class Bravo. The FAA looked at the tapes and determined there was a minor incursion of the Class Bravo; but the aircraft did not come close to another aircraft in the Class Bravo.