NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC IN DSCNT PROC CONCERNS FO OF CPR JET; IN THAT BEING VFR WHILE DSNDING OUT OF TCA MIGHT BE A VIOLATION OF FARS.

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DURING OUR APCH TO LINDEN; NJ; WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH; EXCEPT MAINTAIN 2000 FT. THE NY APCH CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT NEWARK (EWR) TWR. LINCOLN (LDJ) ARPT IS UNCTLED AND IN THE ATA OF NEWARK ARPT. NEWARK TWR CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH; DELETING THE ALT RESTRICTION. I WAS INSTRUCTED AT THIS TIME TO CANCEL IFR; WHICH I DID. NEWARK TWR ACKNOWLEDGED CANCELLATION OF IFR AND THEN SAID (I BELIEVE THIS WAS A WARNING) 'TFC PATTERN ALT AT LINDEN 800 FT; CLRED UNDER THE TCA.' I SUGGESTED TO THE PF (WHO IS THE DEPT MGR) THAT WE DSND TO 800 FT NOW TO AVOID THE TCA. AT THIS TIME WE WERE AT 1500 FT BUT DID NOT DSND TO 800 FT PRIOR TO REACHING THE TCA BOUNDARY. I BELIEVE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF I HAD REFUSED TO CANCEL IFR OR IF WE HAD BRIEFED ABOUT THE TCA ALTS AND BOUNDARIES PRIOR TO OUR FLT. BETTER CREW RESOURCE MGMNT COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS POSSIBLE TCA INCURSION. I CALL IT A 'POSSIBLE' TCA INCURSION BECAUSE WE WERE ALREADY IN THE TCA ON OUR IFR FLT PLAN WHEN WE CANCELLED; SO OUR CLRNC TO BE THERE WHEN WE CANCELLED MAY BE INFERRED. ALSO; I'LL NOT BE SO HASTY (OR COMPLACENT) WHEN IT COMES TO CANCELLING IFR. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME I'VE REGRETTED IT.