Oops on IFR on the way home...

[Oops...]

Logged out for the legality reasons...

Was on the way home the other day. Picked up an IFR popup about 20 miles out. Asked for the visual approach and broke out into VFR conditions. I reported breaking out and said I can proceed visually. At that time I was given a 'proceed direct to K___'. So I turned, and began my descent. A good 30seconds later, I realized I just busted my altitude restriction even though I had the field in site. Just then I got a low altitude notice from ATC and I cancelled IFR.

I know better, but my decision at the time made sense in my head. Just wanted to make this known for others in a similar situation. Just bums me out knowing that I should have flown better. UGH. Next time.

 

[Doug R]

Just to be safe fill out a asrs report. Were you cleared for a visual or told to proceed direct to airport maintain xxx thousand. http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/main_nf.htm

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Don't beat yourself up, in the large range of oopsies, no aluminum was lost so it waren't so bad!
This (what you are doing) is what every good pilot does.... self assessment, constant review, striving to improve. Not too many flights will happen without at least one operational error. The opportunities arise literally every minute. Recently I called unicom thinking I had center dialed in; dohh! Last week, atc says "expect higher in a moment" then without a pause, "C&M fl230". My pnf reads it back and I dial it in. Then I playback the exchange in my mind; that was an unusual way to say it. So I ask him to verify with atc and sho nuff, the 230 was not for us. Never did figure out who it was for. Today it was 'Cleared direct LLO, direct Austin as filed". Well, we had filed 'direct LLO, Kalla One into Austin'. Is that the same thing? Only asking put us both on
the same page.
Try to improve and minimize them, especially the ones that make loud noises!

 

[Richard]

Logged out for the legality reasons...

Was on the way home the other day. Picked up an IFR popup about 20 miles out. Asked for the visual approach and broke out into VFR conditions. I reported breaking out and said I can proceed visually. At that time I was given a 'proceed direct to K___'. So I turned, and began my descent. A good 30seconds later, I realized I just busted my altitude restriction even though I had the field in site. Just then I got a low altitude notice from ATC and I cancelled IFR.

I know better, but my decision at the time made sense in my head. Just wanted to make this known for others in a similar situation. Just bums me out knowing that I should have flown better. UGH. Next time.

I think it's terribly easy to begin the let down prematurely after you break out. I found chanting my asigned alt helps me to resist the urge when on the visual. I did that very same thing by about 300' at OAK earlier this year--but it wasn't my a/c and the owner/pilot was with me so I could always blame him. APP didn't say a word and I corrected before too long.

Otherwise, like the other comments--don't beat yourself up, you are reflecting on the flight, thereby learning the lesson. Filing the ASRS is a good idea.

 

[SkyHog]

Inexperience here:

I don't understand. On an IFR flight plan, you are required to maintain a specific altitude during a visual approach? I need to learn this kind of thing!

 

[ggroves]

On an IFR flight plan, you are required to maintain a specific altitude during a visual approach?

He didn't hear the magic words - "...you are cleared for the approach...". Typically, you will get "...maintain xxxx until established, you are cleared for the XYZ approach...". Until you are cleared, you need to maintain the last altitude assignment.

Generally, on a visual, you can cancel IFR when you are clear and have the airport in sight. Some won't cancel until on the ground, so they will report the airport in sight, ATC will clear them, and they will cancel IFR on the ground (uncontrolled), or the tower will (controlled).

Greg
CFII

 

[TeenDoc]

Some towered airports have IFR Visual approaches (i.e. HPN Sound Visual Rwy 34). When you are cleared to an IFR visual approach you are still IFR even though you are actually flying visually. These approaches have altitude restrictions (i.e. "Maintain 2,000 feet until crossing over the shoreline."). These IFR plans will be cancelled automatically upon landing, as with any IFR plan in a towered airport..

 

[Everskyward]

On an IFR flight plan, you are required to maintain a specific altitude during a visual approach?

No, unless it's a charted visual like TeenDoc indicated. I think the original poster's point was that they were never cleared for the visual, at least that's the way I read it.

Here is more information on visual approaches.

AIM 5-4-21