Cessna Stationair/Turbo Stationair 6
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 810; Flight Crew Type 30
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
Low time instrument pilot descended below minimum altitude for approach segment; also off course during approach.The approach started with numerous vectors for traffic which put me on a long; well-stabilized approach starting at 3000 feet well outside the FAF. Once established; ATC requested max forward speed; and since things were going pretty well; I offered 130 knots; which was the first serious error. Normally I use 90 knots and have never used anything above 120 on an instrument approach. Concerned that I would be high I managed to build up quite a vertical and forward speed; which helped lead to confusion about position relative to the FAF; JOPVU. Thinking I was just past JOPVU when in fact I was just short; less than 2 miles; of JOPVU I descended to 900 feet MSL; just above the minimum published once past JOPVU of 880 feet. The tower controller issued an altitude alert and I climbed back to 1000 feet; belatedly realizing my error; just crossing JOPVU. Once past JOPVU and for unknown reasons; the controller continued issuing altitude alerts (maybe because he thought I was flying some other approach?) which was a distraction and contributed to task saturation and a brief lateral deviation right of course which ought to have initiated going missed; but did not; which the controller also alerted upon. The remainder of the approach was unremarkable.Human Factors: Overconfidence; social pressure (to help out ATC; lots of traffic); task saturation; low actual instrument time. Failure to initiate missed. Prioritizing execution.
C206 pilot reported he was alerted by ATC that he was descending below charted altitude on an IFR approach to BED.