GA pilot reported a communication breakdown with ATC led to an excursion from altitude while on appr...

Narrative:

I was being vectored onto the final approach course for the RNAV/GPS-15 approach into fci. Was at assigned altitude 2600 feet. Received clearance '[tail number] turn right heading 160; maintain 2000 until established; cleared for the RNAV runway 15 straight in approach richmond executive'. I read back '120 maintain 2000 until established; cleared for the RNAV 15 richmond executive [tail number]'I intercepted the final approach course outside of secov (the FAF) and began my descent down to 2000 in VMC. Shortly thereafter; I received a 'low altitude' warning on my FMS and realized that I had descended below the 2200-foot minimum altitude for the segment between docev and secov. At that point; I was VMC; cancelled IFR; and continued with a normal straight-in approach for landing.the particular controller speaks very quickly and it is sometimes hard to hear her above the background static. I listened back to the recording several times on liveatc.net and after slowing the recording down to 2/3 or normal speed; I can now hear that she said; 'maintain two-thousand-six-hundred until established'. I read back 'maintain two-thousand until established' and was not corrected. In hindsight; I should have not descended below the segment's minimum altitude regardless and simply waited for the lpv vertical guidance needle to center while at 2600 feet.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA pilot reported a communication breakdown with ATC led to an excursion from altitude while on approach to Richmond Executive Airport.

Narrative: I was being vectored onto the final approach course for the RNAV/GPS-15 approach into FCI. Was at assigned altitude 2600 feet. Received clearance '[tail number] turn right heading 160; maintain 2000 until established; cleared for the RNAV runway 15 straight in approach Richmond Executive'. I read back '120 maintain 2000 until established; cleared for the RNAV 15 Richmond Executive [tail number]'I intercepted the final approach course outside of SECOV (the FAF) and began my descent down to 2000 in VMC. Shortly thereafter; I received a 'low altitude' warning on my FMS and realized that I had descended below the 2200-foot minimum altitude for the segment between DOCEV and SECOV. At that point; I was VMC; cancelled IFR; and continued with a normal straight-in approach for landing.The particular controller speaks very quickly and it is sometimes hard to hear her above the background static. I listened back to the recording several times on liveatc.net and after slowing the recording down to 2/3 or normal speed; I can now hear that she said; 'Maintain two-thousand-six-hundred until established'. I read back 'maintain two-thousand until established' and was not corrected. In hindsight; I should have not descended below the segment's minimum altitude regardless and simply waited for the LPV vertical guidance needle to center while at 2600 feet.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

Attributes
ACN	1623260
Time
Date	201903
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	FCI.Airport
State Reference	VA
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Route In Use	Vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 59 Flight Crew Total 233 Flight Crew Type 233
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT

GA pilot reported a communication breakdown with ATC led to an excursion from altitude while on approach to richmond executive airport.