Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 3100; Flight Crew Type 2000
Distraction; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure
Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Exited Penetrated Airspace; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors; Airspace Structure
While training a student in steep turns at 1;500 FT MSL and below a Class B shelf of 3;000 FT MSL; we were approached by an ultralight aircraft headed directly for us. We turned to avoid him and he also turned toward us. We came with 300 FT horizontally of him and at the same altitude. We climbed away from him to the south to evade his flight path. This caused us to stray into a lower Class B shelf that began at 1;200 FT MSL. As soon as we realized this; we reduced power to idle and descended rapidly as we turned back north to exit the airspace and reduce altitude at the same time. A northerly wind contributed to the speed with which we deviated into the Class B airspace. The problem was caused by fixating on avoiding this ultralight aircraft and we lost positional awareness. We should have assigned one person to fly and the other to track traffic; instead of both of us trying to watch the traffic maneuvering wildly; and loose positional awareness. In the future; I as the instructor will fly the plane and have the student track the traffic.
A flight instructor and student maneuvering at 1;500 FT reported taking evasive action from an ultralight and so entered TPA Class B at 1;200 FT during the avoidance maneuver.