TURBOJET ACFT DSNDS BELOW CLRED ALT AFTER MISINTERPING CLRNC IN PHL AIRSPACE.

Narrative

FLT WAS A CPR PAX FLT FROM TEB TO TTN. PHL APCH CLRED THE ACFT FOR A VISUAL APCH TO TTN ARPT AND THEN CANCELED THE CLRNC. CAPT DID NOT HEAR THE VISUAL APCH CANCELLATION SO HE STARTED OUT OF ASSIGNED ALT OF 3000 FT. APCH CALLED; 'TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK; 5 MI; AND UNTIL WE CALL TFC IN SIGHT WE ARE NOT CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH; MAINTAIN ASSIGNED ALT OF 3000 FT.' WE HAD THE TFC ON TCASII BUT NOT VISUAL UNTIL APPROX 45 SECONDS LATER; AT WHICH TIME WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO TTN. BECAUSE WE WERE NOW LESS THAN 1 MI FROM THE FIELD AT 3000 FT; I TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE WOULD FLY OVER THE TOP OF THE FIELD AND ENTER A DOWNWIND. SHE RESPONDED WITH A SUGGESTION THAT WE ASK PERMISSION TO DO A MANEUVER INSTEAD OF TELLING HER WHAT WE HAD PLANNED. NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WERE MADE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SHORT FLT IN CONGESTED AIRSPACE. NEW YORK APCH DID NOT HAND US OVER TO PHL UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT 5 MI FROM FIELD. CONGESTED APCH FREQ; LEADING THE CAPT TO NOT HEAR THE VISUAL APCH CLRNC CANCELLATION. I WAS BUSY AND DID NOT SEE CAPT LEAVE ASSIGNED ALT. TIME OF DAY WAS AT XA40 AND WE WERE LOOKING INTO THE SUN THE ENTIRE FLT WHICH CAUSED REDUCED INFLT VISIBILITY.