Date: 201606
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: 10
Light: Night
Aircraft: PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class D ZZZ
ATC / advisory: TRACON ZZZ
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Private
Human factors: Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Automation Air Traffic Control; Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Airspace Structure; MEL
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: Upon taking off from ZZZ1; which had reverted to class G airspace due to the tower being closed for the night; I contacted Approach Control on and requested flight following to ZZZ. I was assigned a discreet transponder code and proceeded directly towards ZZZ. En route; I picked up the ZZZ ATIS on a second radio and never stopped monitoring Approach on my primary radio. I fly in this airspace frequently with ZZZ probably being the second most frequently used airport after my home base. I however do not frequently fly the leg of ZZZ1 to ZZZ; or approach ZZZ from the Northwest. The ATIS at ZZZ usually notes whether or not [a local] Heliport is active. This evening the ATIS made no mention of the class D at [the heliport] being active. The Approach frequency sounded a little busier than usual and as I proceeded to approach ZZZ I jumped on a lull in radio traffic to ask if Approach wanted me to switch over to Tower. The controller immediately advised me to squawk 1200 and terminated services. When I switched over to Tower; the tower controller asked if I was the aircraft that had already entered his class D airspace. I advised him that Approach had dropped me only moments beforehand and did so after I had already entered his airspace. He asked if I had been cleared into [the] Heliport's adjacent airspace. I told him that I thought the ATIS omission of [the heliport's] status meant that the airspace was inactive. He reviewed the ATIS tape and concurred that the status was not playing back on the recorded loop due to a technical problem. I believe the approach controller may have been too busy to monitor my movements and should have dropped me earlier. My aircraft was never in conflict with any other aircraft and I don't believe anyone was ever in any danger. I believe this was a confluence of events and errors; including on my part; that led to an inadvertent airspace incursion. I should have made sure that the Heliport was 'cold' and contacted Approach earlier about my need to contact Tower.




Synopsis: A Piper PA-28 pilot reported two airspace incursions using flight following due to the lack of a timely ATC handoff; and an ATIS information problem.