PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 1825; Flight Crew Type 1275
Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
On approach to landing on Runway 17 at T31 (Aero Country Airport); I misread my chart for the Traffic Pattern Altitude. Instead of approaching at an altitude of 1;600 MSL; my altitude was 1;000 MSL; putting me only 200 FT above the ground and surrounding homes. [This was] a mistake that will not happen again. A more thorough pre-brief will prevent this from occurring in the future.
A PA-32R pilot reported misreading the chart and descending to 200 FT AGL in the pattern at T31.