A J41 FO WAS TOLD TO GO AROUND AT RIC; JUST AS HE BROKE OUT AND ACQUIRED VISUAL CONTACT. HE CONTINUED; EVEN THOUGH HE COULD NOT ADVISE ATC.

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WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 34 AT RIC. WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; BUT WITH A SCATTERED LAYER OF FAIR WX CUMULUS BTWN US AND THE RWY. THE APCH CTLR HAD VECTORED US INSIDE THE OM AND DOWN TO AN ALT OF 2000 FT MSL. WHEN ASKED WHETHER WE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT; THE CAPT REPLIED THAT WE DID; BUT DID NOT KNOW IF WE WOULD KEEP IT IN SIGHT. HE THEN SAID TO ME; 'WE NEED TO GET DOWN;' IN REF TO THE TIGHT TURN ONTO FINAL THAT LEFT US WELL ABOVE THE GS. THE TWR SAID THEY MIGHT VECTOR US OUT FOR THE ILS; JUST AS WE HAD THE RWY WITHOUT OBSTRUCTION. THE CTLR WENT IMMEDIATELY TO ANOTHER ACFT AND WE COULD NOT CALL THE RWY IN A TIMELY MANNER. THE NEXT THING HE SAID TO US WAS THAT HE SHOWED US AT 1600 FT; TO WHICH THE CAPT REPLIED WE HAD A VISUAL ON THE RWY. I HAD CONTINUED THROUGH OUR CLRNC LIMIT OF 2000 FT; PARTLY OWING TO OUR NEED TO LOSE ALT TO MAKE A SAFE APCH; AND PARTLY BECAUSE I HAD MISUNDERSTOOD THAT WE WERE NOT 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL' APCH. THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS A BREAKDOWN IN COM BTWN ATC; THE CAPT; AND MYSELF AT A CRITICAL MOMENT; WHEN WE HAD EITHER TO CONTINUE THE DSCNT OR EXECUTE A MISSED APCH.