SMA PLT DSNDED BELOW THE PUBLISHED ALT OUTSIDE THE LOM AT ABE.

Narrative

APCHING ABE; AND BEING VECTORED BY THE ABE APCH CTLR TO THE ILS RWY 6 APCH; I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH ABOUT 3 MI SW OF THE FAF (OM). LEAVING THE BOTTOMS OF THE BROKEN CEILING AT ABOUT 2400 FT MSL; BUT STILL OUTSIDE THE MARKER; I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; AND LAPSED (MENTALLY) INTO A VISUAL APCH. I DSNDED BELOW THE GS BY 300 FT BEFORE BEING QUERIED BY THE CTLR WHO REMINDED ME OF THE PRESCRIBED XING ALT AT THE MARKER. I REACQUIRED THE GS; AND WAS CLRED TO CONTACT THE TWR; AND THEREAFTER WAS CLRED TO CIRCLE AND LAND ON RWY 13 WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I AM A RELATIVELY NEW INST PLT WITH ONLY ABOUT 25 HRS OF EXPERIENCE IN ACTUAL IMC. ON THIS FLT; I WAS ALONE AND SOMEWHAT APPREHENSIVE ABOUT MAKING THE APCH AT THIS STRANGE ARPT ALTHOUGH THE CONDITIONS WERE WELL ABOVE THE LEGAL; AND MY PERSONAL MINIMUMS. THE CEILING WAS RAGGED AND BROKEN; AND I COULD SEE THE GND ON MANY OCCASIONS WHILE BEING VECTORED TO THE S SIDE OF THE FIELD AFTER APCHING FROM THE NE. AT ONE POINT; ANXIOUS TO LAND; I CONSIDERED ASKING THE CTLR FOR AN IFR DSCNT BELOW THE CLOUD LAYER; SO I MIGHT CANCEL IFR AND MAKE A VISUAL APCH TO THE ARPT; BUT DECIDED TO 'STICK IT OUT' AND CONTINUE WITH THE VECTORS TO THE S. HOWEVER; I WAS SUBCONSCIOUSLY SO ANXIOUS TO GET VISUAL THAT WHEN I FINALLY HAD A CLR VIEW OF THE ARPT AND THE APCH PATH I SIMPLY BEGAN FLYING A VISUAL APCH TO THE FIELD; FORGETTING THAT I WAS STILL ON AN INST APCH SEGMENT AND WAS REQUIRED TO REMAIN ON GS EVEN IF I COULD SEE THE REST OF THE APCH WITHOUT NEED FOR THE GS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED; OF COURSE; AND SHOWS MY INEXPERIENCE AND LACK OF DISCIPLINE. HAD I STILL BEEN IMC; I AM CERTAIN THAT I WOULD HAVE REMAINED GLUED TO THE PANEL AND THE GS; BUT MY DESIRE TO GET VISUAL CAUSED ME TO GIVE UP ON THE APCH WITHOUT CANCELING IFR; WHICH I COULD HAVE DONE. NEXT TIME I WILL BE MORE CAREFUL AND DILIGENT NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTSIDE WX IS LIKE.