FLC OF DHC6 TWIN OTTER DSNDS BELOW MEA BELIEVING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CLRED FOR APCH. CTR THEN CLRED THEM FOR APCH AND THEY REALIZED THE ERROR.

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WE WERE FLYING A SCHEDULED FLT FROM ANCHORAGE; AK; TO KENAI; AK. WE DEPARTED ANCHORAGE IFR AND 10 MINS INTO THE FLT WERE SWITCHED TO CTR AND GIVEN A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE KENAI LOC. ONCE ESTABLISHED INBOUND; AND WITHIN THE 15 MI STEPDOWN (AT WHICH WE WERE GOOD DOWN TO 1300 FT); I DSNDED FROM OUR MEA OF 2000 FT; DOWN TO 1300 FT. AT APPROX 13 DME; CTR CALLED AND SAID TO 'MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON PUBLISHED PORTION OF APCH; CLRED FOR ILS RWY 19 KENAI;' AT WHICH POINT WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED FOR THE APCH WHEN WE INITIATED OUR DSCNT. IT WAS THE END OF OUR DAY AND I THINK THAT WE DSNDED EARLY BECAUSE WE ARE USUALLY ALWAYS CLRED AT THAT POINT; AND AS THE FO FLYING; I THINK I TALKED THE CAPT INTO LETTING ME DSND BY NOTING THAT WE WERE WITHIN 15 MI AND GOOD DOWN TO 1300 FT. HE AGREED; AND WE BOTH LET THE FACT THAT CTR HAD NOT CLRED US YET SLIP BY; PARTLY BY INATTN; PARTLY BY BEING CREATURES OF HABIT; AND BEING USED TO HAVING APCH CLRNC AT THAT STAGE OF THE APCH. THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC IN THE AREA; SO SAFETY WAS NOT COMPROMISED; BUT THIS INCIDENT FLAGGED OUR ATTN TO THE NEED FOR VERIFICATION AND CONCURRENCE BTWN BOTH CREW MEMBERS AS TO WHAT WE ARE CLRED TO DO.