ALTDEV.

Narrative

CRUISING IN IMC WITH SOME GND CONTACT ON V269 TWF-PIH AT 7000 FT. JUST BEFORE PIH I WAS CLRED FOR PIH ILS 21 APCH. THE TRANSITION FROM PIH TO THE LOM IS SPECIFIED FOR 8000 FT MSL; 8 MI ON THE R030. IN MY BRIEF OF THE APCH; I MISSED THE 8000 FT ALT FOR THE TRANSITION; AND MAINTAINED 7000 FT; RATHER THAN CLBING FOR THE 8 MI SEGMENT. I WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH MY ALT; SINCE THE TRANSITION IS CONTAINED IN AN AIRWAY WITH A 7000 FT MEA. TERRAIN CLRNC WAS NOT A PROB. THIS WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT BRIEFING THE TRANSITION CAREFULLY; BUT ATC COULD INCLUDE A CLB TO 8000 FT BEFORE PIH AND MY APCH CLRNC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FEELS THE MISTAKE HE MADE WAS BECAUSE OF A MINDSET THAT HE KNEW THE TERRAIN AND WAS ON AIRWAYS THAT ALREADY MET THE REQUIRED MEA. HE WAS ASKED IF THE NOTE REQUIRING ACFT TO CLB TO A HIGHER ALT THAN CRUISING WOULD BE OF HELP OR IF THE NOTE ON THE APCH PLATE WAS PLAINLY SEEN. HE FELT THE NOTATION ON THE APCH PLATE WAS VERY ADEQUATE AND IT WOULDN'T BE NECESSARY TO CHANGE ANYTHING. HIS OWN MIND WAS THE REASON THE ERROR OCCURRED.