ACR MLG ALT DEVIATION EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT WHILE TROUBLE SHOOTING A PROBLEM THAT ACTIVATED THE STALL WARNING SYSTEM.

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ON BASE LEG MEM; RWY 27; HDG 220 DEGS; ALT 5000' MSL; SLATS EXTEND; FLAPS 5 DEGS; CTLR TURNED US TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS. HIS OTHER COMMENTS WERE DROWNED OUT BY THE ACTIVATING OF STALL WARNING (STICKSHAKER; RECOGNITION LIGHTS; HORN). ACFT HAD SLATS EXTENDED/FLAPS SET AT 5 DEGS; AIRSPD 175 KTS. THE WX WAS CAVU. ACFT HAD PREVIOUS WRITE UP ON STALL INDICATOR FAILURE SYS; DISCREPANCY HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF BY MAINT CTL. COM IN COCKPIT WAS IMPOSSIBLE WITH ALL THE WARNING NOISE. AS CAPT AND PF I WENT THROUGH STALL RECOVERY PROCS. I MAINTAINED HDG 220 DEGS. AS STALL RECOGNITION CONTINUED I LOWERED NOSE OF ACFT TO PICK UP SPD (I WANTED MANEUVERING SPD AND 20 KTS FOR SLATS RETRACTED AND FLAPS 0). THIS WOULD ALSO ELIMINATE ANY POSSIBILITY OF A STALL DUE TO INADVERTENT SLAT AND FLAPS RETRACTION OR HYD FAILURE. ACFT LEVELED OFF AT 4000' MSL WITH APPROPRIATE SPD. WE ACCOMPLISHED COMPANY PROCS FOR STALL INDICATOR SYS FAILURE. THIS PROC ELIMINATED THE STALL WARNINGS WE WERE EXPERIENCING. WE CALLED APCH; TOLD THEM WE HAD A PROB AND WERE BACK WITH THEM WITH THE RWY IN SIGHT. HE CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL AND ASKED IF WE NEEDED ANY EMER EQUIP STANDING BY ON THE FIELD. WE DECLINED. I CALLED APCH AFTER LNDG BY PAY PHONE AND TALKED TO APCH CTL SUPVR. HE SAID THERE WASN'T A PROB BECAUSE WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL BUT LOST COM WITH US FOR ABOUT 15-20 SECS AFTER CLRNC WAS GIVEN. I'M WRITING THIS BECAUSE I DIDN'T HEAR WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL AND WANT TO PROTECT MYSELF IN THE EVENT HE MISLED ME IN OUR CONVERSATION. MY ACTIONS WERE BASED ON MAINTAINING CTL OF THE ACFT FOR SAFETY OF FLT AND DEEMED NECESSARY UNDER THE VFR CONDITIONS WE WERE IN. THE ALT LOSS AND NOT TURNING TO FINAL WERE BASED ON THESE CONDITIONS. THIS OCCURRENCE TOOK PLACE IN A TOTAL ELAPSED TIME OF APPROX 15-20 SECS. STALL WARNING WRITTEN UP IN MAINT LOGBOOK. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 82712: ACFT STALL RECOVERY PROCS WERE INITIATED. STALL WARNING AND STICK SHAKER CONTINUED; CONFIRMING THAT SYS HAD FAILED AND ACFT HAD NOT STALLED.