Narrative:

We were given a descend at pilot's discretion from 8000-4000 ft, and handed off to the next controller. I checked in as leaving 6000 for 4000, without repeating the pilot's discretion instructions. I leveled off at 4400 ft, hitting the altitude button, and cancelling the vertical speed component on my autoplt. A few mins later, I was taken to task on the radio by ZTL for climbing back up to 4400 ft. I explained I had leveled off at 4400 ft to stay above the building cumulous cloud deck, but the controller insisted I had descended, and then climbed back up, and that I had caused a conflict with a plane at 5000 ft. When I replied that I had not gotten any TCASII alerts, nor had seen any TCASII reported traffic, the controller didn't sound very happy. I thought I was helping, and he apparently felt challenged. At no time did the controller issue me vectors or instructions, just a lecture. This happened on the ahn-corce-ajr last segments of a 3 hour flight from lna. Following this discussion with the controller, I descended to 4000 ft and went IMC. Upon landing, I was instructed to call the area manager at atlanta. I explained that I thought I had leveled off at 4400 ft, and that the controller felt otherwise. I was first told everything was resolved, and there was no issue, and then I was xferred to the area 3 desk for subsequent discussion. The pilot flying at 5000 ft subsequently landed at ajr. They were on a training flight. They were also equipped with a traffic warning device, which did not alert. Neither of us saw each other, and we were both in visual conditions. Factors contributing to this confusion, where the 3 hours I had been flying to get to ajr from lna, and my lack of familiarity with the area, which included rising terrain and an airport located in a basin area. I desired to stay out of IMC, and did not want to descend into the cloud deck, as I was anxious about finding the airport and executing the landing. Ajr is at 1400 ft, and I'm a sea level florida pilot, so this was an unusual approach for me. Just prior to this flight, at the SR22's annual, I had the transponder svced. It was transmitting erroneous altitudes. The service manager told me that this was a common SR22 avionics problem having to do with a transducer, and that they would replace and re-calibrate it. This is a new plane with 100 hours on the airframe, but the problem apparently is reasonably common. During the remainder of my flight from lna to mgy and back, ATC lost my transponder once, and asked me to report altitude once. Previous to the service, the plane had reported 1000 ft off after a descent from 8000 ft down to 2000 ft in the bahamas. I will bring her in for service, testing, and calibration of the transponder again. Finally, I should probably have not checked in as leaving 6000 ft for 4000 ft without adding the pilot's discretion instruction or perhaps called in when leveling at 4400 ft. Please note that this was in the last few mins of the flight, and I didn't expect to be level at 4400 ft for more than 2 or 3 mins at most. I'm not sure this was a procedural error on my part, but I could have helped clarify the situation. I've been IFR rated for about 1 yr now, and this was my first long IFR cross country flight from lantana, florida to dayton, ohio. Even after my discussion with center, I'm not sure about the relevant procedures regarding a pilot's discretion descent, and will be hitting the far's and having a chat with my local instructor to clarify.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SR22 PLT ON IFR CLRNC DSNDS AT PLT'S DISCRETION, BUT STOPS 400 FT SHORT OF ASSIGNED ALT TO AVOID ENTERING IMC CONDITIONS.

Narrative: WE WERE GIVEN A DSND AT PLT'S DISCRETION FROM 8000-4000 FT, AND HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR. I CHKED IN AS LEAVING 6000 FOR 4000, WITHOUT REPEATING THE PLT'S DISCRETION INSTRUCTIONS. I LEVELED OFF AT 4400 FT, HITTING THE ALT BUTTON, AND CANCELLING THE VERT SPD COMPONENT ON MY AUTOPLT. A FEW MINS LATER, I WAS TAKEN TO TASK ON THE RADIO BY ZTL FOR CLBING BACK UP TO 4400 FT. I EXPLAINED I HAD LEVELED OFF AT 4400 FT TO STAY ABOVE THE BUILDING CUMULOUS CLOUD DECK, BUT THE CTLR INSISTED I HAD DSNDED, AND THEN CLBED BACK UP, AND THAT I HAD CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH A PLANE AT 5000 FT. WHEN I REPLIED THAT I HAD NOT GOTTEN ANY TCASII ALERTS, NOR HAD SEEN ANY TCASII RPTED TFC, THE CTLR DIDN'T SOUND VERY HAPPY. I THOUGHT I WAS HELPING, AND HE APPARENTLY FELT CHALLENGED. AT NO TIME DID THE CTLR ISSUE ME VECTORS OR INSTRUCTIONS, JUST A LECTURE. THIS HAPPENED ON THE AHN-CORCE-AJR LAST SEGMENTS OF A 3 HR FLT FROM LNA. FOLLOWING THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE CTLR, I DSNDED TO 4000 FT AND WENT IMC. UPON LNDG, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO CALL THE AREA MGR AT ATLANTA. I EXPLAINED THAT I THOUGHT I HAD LEVELED OFF AT 4400 FT, AND THAT THE CTLR FELT OTHERWISE. I WAS FIRST TOLD EVERYTHING WAS RESOLVED, AND THERE WAS NO ISSUE, AND THEN I WAS XFERRED TO THE AREA 3 DESK FOR SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION. THE PLT FLYING AT 5000 FT SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED AT AJR. THEY WERE ON A TRAINING FLT. THEY WERE ALSO EQUIPPED WITH A TFC WARNING DEVICE, WHICH DID NOT ALERT. NEITHER OF US SAW EACH OTHER, AND WE WERE BOTH IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS CONFUSION, WHERE THE 3 HRS I HAD BEEN FLYING TO GET TO AJR FROM LNA, AND MY LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA, WHICH INCLUDED RISING TERRAIN AND AN ARPT LOCATED IN A BASIN AREA. I DESIRED TO STAY OUT OF IMC, AND DID NOT WANT TO DSND INTO THE CLOUD DECK, AS I WAS ANXIOUS ABOUT FINDING THE ARPT AND EXECUTING THE LNDG. AJR IS AT 1400 FT, AND I'M A SEA LEVEL FLORIDA PLT, SO THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL APCH FOR ME. JUST PRIOR TO THIS FLT, AT THE SR22'S ANNUAL, I HAD THE XPONDER SVCED. IT WAS XMITTING ERRONEOUS ALTS. THE SVC MGR TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON SR22 AVIONICS PROB HAVING TO DO WITH A TRANSDUCER, AND THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE AND RE-CALIBRATE IT. THIS IS A NEW PLANE WITH 100 HRS ON THE AIRFRAME, BUT THE PROB APPARENTLY IS REASONABLY COMMON. DURING THE REMAINDER OF MY FLT FROM LNA TO MGY AND BACK, ATC LOST MY XPONDER ONCE, AND ASKED ME TO RPT ALT ONCE. PREVIOUS TO THE SVC, THE PLANE HAD RPTED 1000 FT OFF AFTER A DSCNT FROM 8000 FT DOWN TO 2000 FT IN THE BAHAMAS. I WILL BRING HER IN FOR SVC, TESTING, AND CALIBRATION OF THE XPONDER AGAIN. FINALLY, I SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE NOT CHKED IN AS LEAVING 6000 FT FOR 4000 FT WITHOUT ADDING THE PLT'S DISCRETION INSTRUCTION OR PERHAPS CALLED IN WHEN LEVELING AT 4400 FT. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WAS IN THE LAST FEW MINS OF THE FLT, AND I DIDN'T EXPECT TO BE LEVEL AT 4400 FT FOR MORE THAN 2 OR 3 MINS AT MOST. I'M NOT SURE THIS WAS A PROCEDURAL ERROR ON MY PART, BUT I COULD HAVE HELPED CLARIFY THE SIT. I'VE BEEN IFR RATED FOR ABOUT 1 YR NOW, AND THIS WAS MY FIRST LONG IFR XCOUNTRY FLT FROM LANTANA, FLORIDA TO DAYTON, OHIO. EVEN AFTER MY DISCUSSION WITH CTR, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE RELEVANT PROCS REGARDING A PLT'S DISCRETION DSCNT, AND WILL BE HITTING THE FAR'S AND HAVING A CHAT WITH MY LCL INSTRUCTOR TO CLARIFY.

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.