PLT OF A C172 DSNDED BELOW ASSIGNED ALT PRIOR TO BEING CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH.

Narrative

THIS FLT WAS A CAP PLT PROFICIENCY FLT. AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED FROM THE ACFT HOME BASE (HUA) AND RETURNING TO HUA WITH INST APCHS AT FYM AND BGF. 2 CAP PLTS WERE ON BOARD. THE PF WAS INST RATED; THE PNF WAS PVT PLT RATED ONLY. ON THE RETURN LEG BACK TO HUA; ZME HANDED THE FLT OFF TO HUNTSVILLE APCH APPROX 20 MI FROM THE FINAL DEST. UPON CALL-UP; THE CTLR SAID TO EXPECT THE VISUAL APCH INTO HUA. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED AT PLT'S DISCRETION TO 2900 FT MSL DIRECT RQZ. THE CEILING AT HSV; 5 MI W OF HUA; WAS RPTED AS 1900 FT BROKEN. UPON REACHING RQZ; THE PLT PROCEEDED TO THE NEXT WAYPOINT ON THE FLT PLAN (HUA NDB). SHORTLY AFTER RQZ PASSAGE; THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE VISUAL. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED WITH AN AFFIRMATIVE AND THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE VISUAL APCH. WHILE DSNDING THROUGH 2500 FT MSL; THE CTLR SAID THAT THE FLT ASSIGNED ALT WAS 2900 FT MSL. THE PLT ADVISED THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. THE CTLR ASKED IF HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED WITH AN AFFIRMATIVE. THE CTLR THEN GAVE THE CLRNC FOR THE VISUAL APCH. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED AND THEN CANCELED IFR AT WHICH POINT HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO SQUAWK VFR AND FREQ CHANGE APPROVED. THE PLT IS NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER INCIDENT DUE TO THIS ALTDEV EVEN AFTER A LATER PHONE CALL TO HSV APCH.