Flight crew of widebody transport landed dfw without changing to tower frequency.

Attributes
ACN	184122
Time
Date	199107
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 70 flight time total : 2000 flight time type : 70
ASRS Report	184122
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 12000
ASRS Report	184124
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On final approach, we were cleared visual approach, but never switched to tower frequency. I do not remember if we were instructed to do so, but we never did. On short final, we were closing on a light aircraft landing ahead of us. I thought the tower might send us around but we never got the call because we were not on their frequency. The aircraft cleared the runway right before we touched down. We discovered our mistake after clearing the runway. We all fixated on the aircraft ahead of us, and didn't catch the fact that the radio chatter we were listening to was approach control and not tower, and we hadn't received clearance to land.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF WDB LANDED DFW WITHOUT CHANGING TO TWR FREQ.

Narrative: ON FINAL APCH, WE WERE CLRED VISUAL APCH, BUT NEVER SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ. I DO NOT REMEMBER IF WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO DO SO, BUT WE NEVER DID. ON SHORT FINAL, WE WERE CLOSING ON A LIGHT ACFT LNDG AHEAD OF US. I THOUGHT THE TWR MIGHT SEND US AROUND BUT WE NEVER GOT THE CALL BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ON THEIR FREQ. THE ACFT CLRED THE RWY RIGHT BEFORE WE TOUCHED DOWN. WE DISCOVERED OUR MISTAKE AFTER CLRING THE RWY. WE ALL FIXATED ON THE ACFT AHEAD OF US, AND DIDN'T CATCH THE FACT THAT THE RADIO CHATTER WE WERE LISTENING TO WAS APCH CTL AND NOT TWR, AND WE HADN'T RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND.

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.