Date: 201907
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: SFO.Airport, CA
Aircraft: Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Initial Climb
Airspace: Class B SFO
ATC / advisory: TRACON NCT
Second aircraft: Caravan 208B
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Approach
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Distraction; Situational Awareness
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: The adjacent sector coordinated Aircraft X; on a non-standard route at 3;000 feet. It was approved. During that time; I was coordinating movement of a Law Enforcement aircraft (Aircraft Y) that was operating near the SFO finals. The Supervisor then asked me to combine the position with another sector and a relief briefing was given. Shortly after that; Aircraft X checked onto my frequency; but I could not climb right away because he was still under another sector's airspace. My attention then went back to Aircraft Y. I pointed out the aircraft verbally to one sector and then handed off and coordinated with another sector. I called a sector to ask if they wanted to take a point out. They said yes. I then called another sector to coordinate Aircraft Y's movements. That sector told me to hold onto him because a different sector was opening.Around this time an air carrier on the downwind for OAK checked on; I responded. I went back to Aircraft Y because he was outside of my airspace and I wanted to ship him to the next sector so I keyed into their landline but they were still getting a briefing. Then a VFR aircraft off of PAO checked on; I responded. It was around this time that the previous sector controller keyed in and asked if I was talking to Aircraft X. I then realized I had let Aircraft X get away from me as he entered a 3;400 MVA (Minimum vectoring Altitude) at 3;000 feet. I immediately issued a climb to 4;000 feet. I did not issue a low altitude alert because even level at 3;000 feet he was 600 feet above the depicted obstruction and not in a descent towards the terrain. In my judgement; a climb was an effective and appropriate resolution. During the procedure; the controller has a narrow window to climb the aircraft; just 4 miles between the start of the airspace to the MVA. When attention is drawn towards non-standard operations; even a C172 can cover 4 miles in less than two and a half minutes. I'm not advocating a change because in certain situations; this nonstandard procedure can be a useful tool; but I want to paint the picture that the controller is receiving a handoff on an airplane that's pointed at a higher MVA with limited time to address it. This is not an excuse; as I have worked that very procedure countless times; but the added workload of coordinating the law enforcement aircraft outside of my airspace drew too much of my attention away from the other aircraft in my sector.




Synopsis: A TRACON Controller reported they were distracted coordinating a special operation and did not notice that an aircraft entered airspace below their Minimum Vectoring Altitude.