Flight crew descended aircraft below clearance altitude while attempting to locate airport visually.

Attributes
ACN	313640
Time
Date	199508
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : csg
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2000 msl bound upper : 2500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : csg
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 3500 flight time type : 270
ASRS Report	313640
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Columbus approach assigned us 2500 ft. While trying to locate the airport we descended to 2000 ft. Contributing factors were poor crew coordination, ie, both pilots looking for the airport instead of one looking and one flying. Additionally, we thought we had the airport which caused an initial let down which was not fully recovered from when we realized that we did not have the actual airport. Descent to 2000 ft was realized when ATC advised us to maintain 2500 ft.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC DSNDED ACFT BELOW CLRNC ALT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE ARPT VISUALLY.

Narrative: COLUMBUS APCH ASSIGNED US 2500 FT. WHILE TRYING TO LOCATE THE ARPT WE DSNDED TO 2000 FT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE POOR CREW COORD, IE, BOTH PLTS LOOKING FOR THE ARPT INSTEAD OF ONE LOOKING AND ONE FLYING. ADDITIONALLY, WE THOUGHT WE HAD THE ARPT WHICH CAUSED AN INITIAL LET DOWN WHICH WAS NOT FULLY RECOVERED FROM WHEN WE REALIZED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE ACTUAL ARPT. DSCNT TO 2000 FT WAS REALIZED WHEN ATC ADVISED US TO MAINTAIN 2500 FT.

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.