Regional Jet CL65; Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related
During descent into SGU Center cleared us from 16;000 FT to 13;000FT then asked which approach we wanted. My First Officer answered back that we wanted the LDA to 19. The Controller responded; 'Cleared direct IPPOD; cleared for the LDA [DME] Runway 19 into St. George.' We were in between HOPEB and IPPOD at that point. I looked at my approach chart and saw that I could descend to 10;300 FT. I put that altitude in the alerter and continued the descent. Through about 11;300 FT the Controller asked us if we were descending. My First Officer responded that we were descending on the approach as previously cleared. The Controller responded that she had only cleared us for the approach and had not cleared us to descend. I manually took control from the autopilot and leveled the aircraft. My First Officer asked if we needed to climb back up. The Controller responded that if we had the terrain insight we could continue the descent. We did have the terrain and were; at that point; passing over IPPOD. The Controller then re-cleared us for the approach. During this time my First Officer and the Jumpseater stated that they had both heard the first clearance of 'direct IPPOD and cleared for the LDA 19 approach.'The event occurred because the Controller cleared us for the approach. We were over a portion of the approach that had a specified lower altitude and had no reason to question the clearance or maintain a higher altitude. I don't know what we should have done differently. We receive clearances like this daily. And comply in the same way.
When cleared ['direct to IPPOD; cleared for the LDA DME Runway 19 approach to SGU'] the flight crew of a regional jet inappropriately began a descent from their assigned altitude of 13;000 MSL to the MEA at IPPOD of 10;300 MSL; apparently uncognizant of possible intervening high terrain between their location and IPPOD.