CLRED OFF ARTCC FREQ DURING AN IFR APCH TO AN UNCTLED ARPT THE PLT SEES THE FIELD AND BEGINS DSCNT TOO SOON GETTING BELOW MINIMUM ALTS FOR THE APCH. ARTCC EXPRESSES CONCERN WHEN THE PLT RETURNS TO FREQ TO CANCEL IFR.

Narrative

LOCATION: LOC RWY 17 APCH TO LEESBURG; VA (JYO). SIT: ATC CLRED ME FOR APCH. INTERCEPTED LOC INSIDE STILL INTXN AT 3000 FT ACCORDING TO CLRNC. DSNDED TO THE 1800 FT MDA REQUIRED BEFORE REACHING THE NEXT STEP DOWN FIX AT WARDE INTXN; LOCATED 5 DME FROM ARPT. 4 NM BEFORE REACHING WARDE ATC TERMINATED RADAR SVCS AND APPROVED FREQ CHANGE. APPROX 3 NM OUTSIDE OF WARDE INTXN I MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH LEESBURG EXECUTIVE ARPT (JYO). I DETERMINED THAT I COULD MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT IF I DSNDED BELOW THE BROKEN CLOUDS WITH A CEILING OF APPROX 1800 FT. AT THIS POINT I STARTED MY DSCNT TO 1200 FT. UPON REACHING 1200 FT I RETURNED TO THE ATC FREQ TO CANCEL MY IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS INFORMED BY ATC THAT THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO REACH ME AND THAT I HAD DSNDED BELOW MDA FOR THE APCH. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD A VISUAL WITH THE ARPT BEFORE GOING BELOW MDA FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE APCH. I BELIEVED THAT I WAS ABLE TO DSND BELOW MDA ON APCH AS LONG AS I HAD POSITIVE VISUAL IDENT OF THE ARPT AND COULD MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT. AFTER REVIEW OF THE FAR'S I NOW HAVE SOME DOUBT AS TO IF THIS IS CORRECT SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE A CONTINUOUS DSCNT TO THE RWY FROM THE POINT AT WHICH I WENT BELOW MDA. I AM UNCERTAIN OF MY DECISION AND PLAN TO SEEK ADVICE FROM A CFI FOR FUTURE REF.