CFIT A POSSIBILITY; HAD SMA PLT NOT SPOKEN UP AND ADVISED THE APCH CTLR OF THE IMPROPER HDG ALT GIVEN IN DSCNT CLRNC DURING RADAR VECTORING.

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FLYING ON V3 AT 6000 FT TOWARD LURAY ARPT (W45) RECEIVED CLRNC DSCNT TO 5000 FT; THEN VECTOR OF 190 DEGS. READ BACK 190 DEG L TURN; NO CORRECTION WAS GIVEN. THEN RECEIVED DSND MAINTAIN 4000 FT READBACK; EXPECT CHANGE OF VECTOR BACK AWAY FROM MOUNTAIN. DID NOT RECEIVE CHANGE OF VECTOR; SO I INFORMED ATC THAT 4000 FT WOULD PUT ME INTO THE TERRAIN. HE THEN GAVE HDG OF; I BELIEVE; 340 DEGS. THIS TURNED ME AWAY FROM MOUNTAINS AND TOWARD THE VALLEY. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT W45 WAS 3 MI AT 12 O'CLOCK. IT WAS ACTUALLY 13 MI AWAY. MY LORAN SHOWED 13 MI. HE ASKED IF I HAD RWY IN SIGHT. I DID NOT; BUT TOLD HIM I COULD PROCEED VISUAL; HE THEN TOLD ME TO CANCEL IFR PLAN ON GND BY CALLING DULLES APCH. I ASKED IF I COULD CANCEL THROUGH FSS. HE SAID HE WOULD RATHER I CANCEL DIRECT TO ATC. I WOULD HAVE FLOWN INTO MOUNTAIN IF I WAS IMC. I THINK HE WAS LOOKING AT WRONG PLANE ON SCOPE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CALLED BACK AND STATED THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY IDENTED BY THE APCH CTLR. HE HAD BEEN GIVEN THE TURN AND THE DSCNT PRIOR TO ANY FORMAL IDENT PROC; WHICH HAD BEEN BASED SOLELY ON HIS DEST ARPT AND PROX TO THE VOR. RPTR SPOKE WITH IAD SUPVR WHO WAS WITH QUALITY ASSURANCE. SHE PULLED THE TAPE AND SAID IT WAS AN OPERROR. CTLR WAS PULLED OFF POS FOR 6 MONTHS FOR RETRAINING.