CORP ACFT DSNDS BELOW ASSIGNED ALT.

Narrative

IN A KING AIR 300; WE WERE CLRED FROM FL290 TO FL240; AND LATER HANDED OFF TO LOW CTR CTL. UPON CALLING ZTL AT FL240 THE CTLR ASKED IF WE COULD BE AT FL220 IN A 'MIN AND A HALF.' WE SAID YES AND BOTH MYSELF AND MY COPLT; WHO WAS WORKING THE RADIOS; UNDERSTOOD THE CTLR TO SAY 'DSND TO FL200 AND DOWN TO FL220 WITHIN A MINUTE AND A HALF.' COPLT READ THAT BACK VERY CLRLY AND WE STARTED DOWN. PASSING ABOUT FL228 THE CTLR ASKED ALT. WE RPTED AND ADDED THAT WE WOULD 'BE THROUGH FL220 IN 30 SECONDS.' (WELL WITHIN THE MIN AND A HALF). THE CTLR SEEMED INTERESTED IN THE PROGRESS OF OUR DSCNT; SO I TOLD THE COPLT; 'WHEN WE PASS FL220 TELL HIM;' AS I KNOW THAT DURING A RAPID DSCNT RADAR RETURNS LAG. HOWEVER; WHEN WE PASSED FL220 OTHERS WERE TALKING ON THE FREQ AND BY THE TIME THE COPLT HAD A CHANCE TO TALK AGAIN THE CTLR HAD TIME TO SEE FOR HIMSELF ON THE RADAR THAT WE WERE SAFELY OUT OF FL220. PRESENTLY WE MODERATED OUR DSCNT AND CONTINUED AT A MORE NORMAL RATE. A MOMENT LATER THE CTLR ASKED OUR ALT. WE RPTED 'PASSING FL202 TO FL200.' HE THEN SAID 'WELL; YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STOP AT FL220; BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT. JUST STAY AT FL200.' UH-OH. I'VE NEVER FILED ONE OF THESE RPTS BEFORE; AND I AM SURPRISED AT HOW LONG THIS NARRATIVE BECAME FOR SUCH A BRIEF INCIDENT. SORRY ABOUT THAT; BUT IF CTLRS WOULD LISTEN TO READBACKS A LITTLE BETTER; MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT.