RYAN NAVION H PLT IS ISSUED AN ALT THAT IS BELOW THE MSA FOR THE PUBLISHED APCH AND HAS COM DIFFICULTIES.

Narrative

WHEN ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND PLANNING A GPS RWY 5 APCH INTO HBZ; THE PLATE CALLS FOR 4000 FT TO THE IAF DROPPING TO 2600 FT TO THE FAF AND 1180 FT TO THE MDA. PRIOR TO REACHING THE IAF I WAS CLRED TO 3000 FT AND I DSNDED; AT WHICH POINT I BELIEVE THAT CTR NO LONGER COULD SEE ME ON RADAR AND COMS WERE SPOTTY AT BEST; A WORD HERE AND THERE. I RPTED APCHING THE IAF AND GOT NO RESPONSE; AT REACHING THE IAF I BEGAN MY DSCNT TO 2600 FT FOR THE FAF. I CAUGHT A FEW WORDS FROM CTR; BUT NOTHING THAT I COULD UNDERSTAND. FINALLY CTR RELAYED THROUGH A BARON FLYING OVER; THAT I WAS CLRED FOR THE APCH. UPON REACHING THE FAF; I DSNDED TO 1180 FT AND CONTINUED. I COULD SEE THE GND BUT NOT AHEAD. FINALLY I BROKE THROUGH THE CLOUDS AT MDA AND THE RWY WAS CLR AHEAD. I MADE A NORMAL LNDG AND CALLED FLT SVC TO RPT THAT I WAS ON THE GND AND TO NOTIFY CTR. MY CONCERN IS THAT I BEGAN THE APCH WITHOUT THE WORDS 'CLRED FOR THE APCH' BUT COULD NOT HEAR CTR. FINALLY THE CLRNC CAME THROUGH THE BARON; SO I ASSUMED THAT ALL WAS WELL. THE OTHER PROB IS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY CTR DROPPED ME FROM 4000 FT TO 3000 FT BEFORE THE APCH PLATE CALLED FOR THE DSCNT. I DON'T KNOW THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEGUN THE APCH WITHOUT THE MAGIC WORDS; BUT I COULDN'T COMMUNICATE WITH CTR. SO I BELIEVED THAT THE 'LOST COM' RULE WAS IN EFFECT. THAT IS TO CONTINUE AS EXPECTED WHEN I LOST COM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE CTLR DSNDED HIM TO 3000 FT IT APPEARED TO HIM THAT RADAR CONTACT WITH HIS ACFT WAS LOST. THIS WAS INDICATED AFTER HE BEGAN THE APCH AND DSNDED TO THE NEXT ALT THE CTLR RELAYED THROUGH ANOTHER ACFT THAT THE RPTR SHOULD CLB BACK TO 3000 FT. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE RELAYED BACK THAT HE WAS ON THE APCH AND THE CTLR FINALLY ISSUED A 'CLRED FOR THE APCH' CLRNC. THE RPTR STATED THAT HE SHOULD HAVE QUERIED THE CTLR REGARDING THE MSA WHEN THE CLRNC TO DSND TO 3000 FT WAS ISSUED. THE RPTR STATED THAT THE DSCNT TO THE LOWER ALT WAS DETRIMENTAL TO COMS.