CAPT OF AN ACR LGT ACFT DSNDED BELOW ASSIGNED XING RESTRICTION ALT RESULTING IN EXITING THE TCA.

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FLT FROM LAX TO SAN ON MAY/XX/93 WAS AT 8000 FT ON A DOWNWIND (R) TO SAN. APCH CTL ASKED US IF WE HAD THE ARPT AND LNDG TFC IN SIGHT. WE REPLIED WE DID; SO WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH WITH THE RESTRICTION TO MAINTAIN 5000 FT UNTIL XING THE MISSION BAY (MZB) 084 DEG RADIAL. THE FO READ BACK THE CLRNC; BUT I DON'T THINK THE FO CAUGHT THE RESTRICTION. I ASKED THE FO TO TUNE THE 084 DEG RADIAL OF MZB WHICH HE DID. I CONTINUED TO DSND WITHOUT CHKING THE VOR NEEDLE. IN MY MIND I WAS THINKING THE RECIPROCAL OF 084 DEG RADIAL. I ASSUMED THE RESTRICTION WAS TO KEEP US HIGH UNTIL CLR OF MIRAMAR SO WHEN IT APPEARED WE WERE CLR OF MIRAMAR I CONTINUED THE DSCNT BELOW 5000 FT. ALSO; THE FO ON 2 OCCASIONS GAVE ME THE NOD AND SAID 'IT'S CLR NOW; YOU CAN MAKE IT.' THE FIRST TIME HE SAID IT I ELECTED TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND TO MAKE SURE I HAD PLENTY OF ROOM TO GET DOWN AND TO MAKE SURE I HAD COMPLIED WITH THE 5000 FT RESTRICTION. THE SECOND TIME HE SAID IT I HAD SORT OF 'PUT ASIDE' MENTALLY THE RESTRICTION ABOUT THE 084 DEG RADIAL AND AT ABOUT 3500 FT ON XWIND THE CTLR 'JUMPED ALL OVER US' FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH HIS INSTRUCTIONS. WE HAD DROPPED THROUGH THE CEILING OF THE TCA. EVEN THOUGH WE WERE GIVEN THE RESTRICTION; THE LAST WORDS OF THE CLRNC OF THE CTLR WERE 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH.' THOSE WORDS PREVAILED IN MY MIND AND BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH VISUAL APCHS AT SAN I FORMED A PICTURE (ERRONEOUS AS IT WAS) IN MY MIND OF WHAT THE CTLR WANTED US TO DO. THE FO WAS PART OF THE PROB. I DON'T THINK HE MENTALLY ACCEPTED THE CLRNC AS GIVEN. HE KEPT URGING ME TO START MY XWIND WITH ONLY THE THOUGHT OF WHETHER I COULD PHYSICALLY GET DOWN FROM OUR POS AND WITHOUT REGARD TO THE 5000 FT/084 DEG RADIAL MZB RESTRICTION. IN RETROSPECT; I WISH I HAD NOT ACCEPTED THE VISUAL APCH AND INSTEAD HAVE REQUIRED A VECTOR TO FINAL. THE CTLR (I FEEL) WAS TRYING TO GET RID OF US. BY ACCEPTING THE VISUAL APCH WITH THE RESTRICTION; WE 'DID IT TO OURSELVES' -- WE BUSTED THE ALT RESTRICTION AND SET OURSELVES UP FOR A POSSIBLE FLT VIOLATION. MY MISTAKE WAS 1) ASSUMING I KNOW WHAT THE CTLR WANTED; AND 2) NOT VISUALLY CONFIRMING IT WITH THE VOR WHEN I WAS ACROSS THE 084 DEG RADIAL MZB.