The first officer (PF) thought that the flight crew was cleared for a visual approach and began a descent without ATC clearance. The PNF caught the error and the flight crew returned the aircraft to their assigned altitude. Approach controller intervened, also.

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Attributes
ACN	330740
Time
Date	199603
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : bur
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 4700 msl bound upper : 5000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent other
Route In Use	approach : visual enroute airway : bur
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 900
ASRS Report	330740
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 138 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	330836
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
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:

First officer flying and captain, PNF. Burbank approach asked us to call the 'airport in sight' after assigning us 5000 ft. I acknowledged this while attempting to locate airport visually. First officer assumed this to be clearance for a visual approach and began descent. As I returned my scan to cockpit and noticed altitude 4700 ft descending, called altitude and the correction back to 5000 ft. The controller then stated 'you were cleared only to 5000 ft.' I rogered this as we were again at 5000 ft. We called the airport in sight and were cleared for a visual to runway 15. No further comments were made regarding our assigned altitude. Visibility was 20 mi. Fog was forming to the southwest of airport and sun coming up from east did not let us see airport until approximately 8 mi from airport. Better communications (crew leadership resource management) between captain and first officer would have precluded this. Also, the use of the autoflt system would have alerted captain when descent was initiated, or the altitude window would have to have been changed. Supplemental information from acn 330836: first officer (PF) understood that flight crew was cleared for the four stacks visual approach.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FO (PF) THOUGHT THAT THE FLC WAS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH AND BEGAN A DSCNT WITHOUT ATC CLRNC. THE PNF CAUGHT THE ERROR AND THE FLC RETURNED THE ACFT TO THEIR ASSIGNED ALT. APCH CTLR INTERVENED, ALSO.

Narrative: FO FLYING AND CAPT, PNF. BURBANK APCH ASKED US TO CALL THE 'ARPT IN SIGHT' AFTER ASSIGNING US 5000 FT. I ACKNOWLEDGED THIS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE ARPT VISUALLY. FO ASSUMED THIS TO BE CLRNC FOR A VISUAL APCH AND BEGAN DSCNT. AS I RETURNED MY SCAN TO COCKPIT AND NOTICED ALT 4700 FT DSNDING, CALLED ALT AND THE CORRECTION BACK TO 5000 FT. THE CTLR THEN STATED 'YOU WERE CLRED ONLY TO 5000 FT.' I ROGERED THIS AS WE WERE AGAIN AT 5000 FT. WE CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 15. NO FURTHER COMMENTS WERE MADE REGARDING OUR ASSIGNED ALT. VISIBILITY WAS 20 MI. FOG WAS FORMING TO THE SW OF ARPT AND SUN COMING UP FROM E DID NOT LET US SEE ARPT UNTIL APPROX 8 MI FROM ARPT. BETTER COMS (CREW LEADERSHIP RESOURCE MGMNT) BTWN CAPT AND FO WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED THIS. ALSO, THE USE OF THE AUTOFLT SYS WOULD HAVE ALERTED CAPT WHEN DSCNT WAS INITIATED, OR THE ALT WINDOW WOULD HAVE TO HAVE BEEN CHANGED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 330836: FO (PF) UNDERSTOOD THAT FLC WAS CLRED FOR THE FOUR STACKS VISUAL APCH.

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.