Narrative:

I told approach we had airport in sight. He cleared us, 'cleared visually to airport, you are 2 for airport and 1 for 29 (maintain 7000).' I did not acknowledge the altitude restriction, because in the past this was meant to me as an advisory for purposes of noise abatement. The copilot began his descent from 8000' and then somewhere around 6500' approach told us to maintain the heading we were on and he would turn us on to the localizer. The whole business seemed strange, especially when he shortly thereafter cleared us for the harbor visibility approach to runway 29 as we continued our descent. The approach controller then asked me if I would call him when we landed. We commented that he probably might want information about getting a job with company, so I asked if it was ok to call him from the hotel. He said yes, but before XA30. I decide to call him as soon as we landed. He was very pleasant and wanted to know if we knew we busted our altitude since he did not clear us for an approach, but merely to navigation visually to the airport (which we did via the noise abatement harbor approach). He explained that he did not clear us for an approach to portland (me), but there was nothing to worry about. I explained that is all my yrs of flying, I had never been given a clearance to the airport of destination (to navigation to it), west/O it being an approach clearance--since I told him, 'I see the airport,' and thousands of other times this has always implied a request for a visibility approach clearance.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MISUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ACR PLT AND CTLR ON ATC CLRNC TO ARPT.

Narrative: I TOLD APCH WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT. HE CLRED US, 'CLRED VISUALLY TO ARPT, YOU ARE 2 FOR ARPT AND 1 FOR 29 (MAINTAIN 7000).' I DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE ALT RESTRICTION, BECAUSE IN THE PAST THIS WAS MEANT TO ME AS AN ADVISORY FOR PURPOSES OF NOISE ABATEMENT. THE COPLT BEGAN HIS DSCNT FROM 8000' AND THEN SOMEWHERE AROUND 6500' APCH TOLD US TO MAINTAIN THE HDG WE WERE ON AND HE WOULD TURN US ON TO THE LOC. THE WHOLE BUSINESS SEEMED STRANGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE SHORTLY THEREAFTER CLRED US FOR THE HARBOR VIS APCH TO RWY 29 AS WE CONTINUED OUR DSCNT. THE APCH CTLR THEN ASKED ME IF I WOULD CALL HIM WHEN WE LANDED. WE COMMENTED THAT HE PROBABLY MIGHT WANT INFO ABOUT GETTING A JOB WITH COMPANY, SO I ASKED IF IT WAS OK TO CALL HIM FROM THE HOTEL. HE SAID YES, BUT BEFORE XA30. I DECIDE TO CALL HIM AS SOON AS WE LANDED. HE WAS VERY PLEASANT AND WANTED TO KNOW IF WE KNEW WE BUSTED OUR ALT SINCE HE DID NOT CLR US FOR AN APCH, BUT MERELY TO NAV VISUALLY TO THE ARPT (WHICH WE DID VIA THE NOISE ABATEMENT HARBOR APCH). HE EXPLAINED THAT HE DID NOT CLR US FOR AN APCH TO PORTLAND (ME), BUT THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I EXPLAINED THAT IS ALL MY YRS OF FLYING, I HAD NEVER BEEN GIVEN A CLRNC TO THE ARPT OF DEST (TO NAV TO IT), W/O IT BEING AN APCH CLRNC--SINCE I TOLD HIM, 'I SEE THE ARPT,' AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER TIMES THIS HAS ALWAYS IMPLIED A REQUEST FOR A VIS APCH CLRNC.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.