PLT OF AN AERO COMMANDER 690 DSNDED FOR A VOR DME APCH JUST PRIOR TO BEING CLRED FOR THE APCH.

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ENRTE FROM JMS; ND; TO HDE; NE; POSSIBLE INADVERTENT PREMATURE DSCNT FROM ASSIGNED ALT IN CONJUNCTION WITH IAP FOR HDE. AFTER OBTAINING THE AUTOMATED WX RPT FROM HDE; PLT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A CHANGE IN ROUTING CLRNC TO PROCEED FROM THE PRESENT POS TO THE EAR VOR; THEN DIRECT TO HDE IN ANTICIPATION OF THE VOR DME APCH TO HOLDREGE. DSCNT CLRNC WAS RECEIVED TO 4500 FT MSL UNTIL THE EAR VOR. PLT SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THE VOR DME APCH TO HDE. AFTER THE ACFT REACHED THE EAR VOR; WHICH IS THE IAF FOR THE VOR DME APCH TO HDE; A DSCNT WAS BEGUN TO 3800 FT MSL; THE MINIMUM ALT SPECIFIED FOR THE INITIAL APCH SEGMENT; UNDER THE BELIEF THAT THE APCH CLRNC HAD BEEN RECEIVED. SHORTLY AFTER THE DSCNT FROM 4500 FT WAS BEGUN; THE ATC CTR ADVISED THAT THE ACFT WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH. THE TIMING OF THIS CLRNC; COUPLED WITH THE PLT'S REQUEST SPECIFICALLY FOR THE VOR DME APCH AND THE 4500 FT ALT ASSIGNMENT UNTIL THE VOR RAISED QUESTION IN THE PLT'S MIND AS TO WHETHER THE DSCNT WAS PREMATURE. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC FOR THE APCH; WHICH WAS COMPLETED UNEVENTFULLY; FOLLOWED BY A NORMAL LNDG AT HOLDREGE. WHEN THE HDE ARPT WAS SIGHTED AND VFR CONDITIONS COULD BE MAINTAINED TO THE ARPT; THE PLT UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO CANCEL THE IFR FLT PLAN WITH ZMP. HOWEVER; BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE ZDV RCO; THE PLT WAS ABLE TO CANCEL HIS IFR FLT PLAN WITH ZDV; AND WAS ADVISED THAT DENVER WOULD NOTIFY MINNEAPOLIS OF THE CANCELLATION. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT TO THE DEST ARPT (HDE) WAS UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: FATIGUE -- A 14 HR DAY. ILLNESS OF FAMILY MEMBER. CONCERN OVER THE TREND FOR DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS AT THE DEST.