Narrative:

The problem arose when my first officer and I failed to contact tower and be cleared to land. I feel that my first officer's preoccupation with our final checklist as well as my having him monitor the deice equipment, while I was concentrating on my profile that contributed to allow us to overlook the fact that we didn't get handed off to tower to be cleared. We noticed this after turning off the runway and noticed the approach frequency still in the radio's active. We then switched to tower to ask if we could go to ground frequency. The tower said 'affirmative' and that was all that was said. I feel frequency saturation and distraction played the largest part in 2 crew members and the controllers all failing to notice the problem. Luckily no one was ever holding short to cause a possible problem, and the runway was cleared. I don't see a quick fix of any remedy that will totally alleviate mistakes of this nature, but I know of 2 pilots that will be more aware of landing clrncs in the future. In most instances where approach delays, or failure to make the handoff to tower, the pilots query, and the 'checks and balances system' works. But when both sides slip up it would seem that one more thing could be done so everyone is communicating. And that would be for tower to contact the approach individual to query him or have him query the pilots to the problem before landing is made.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER ACFT LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC. NO HDOF.

Narrative: THE PROBLEM AROSE WHEN MY FO AND I FAILED TO CONTACT TWR AND BE CLRED TO LAND. I FEEL THAT MY FO'S PREOCCUPATION WITH OUR FINAL CHKLIST AS WELL AS MY HAVING HIM MONITOR THE DEICE EQUIP, WHILE I WAS CONCENTRATING ON MY PROFILE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO ALLOW US TO OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T GET HANDED OFF TO TWR TO BE CLRED. WE NOTICED THIS AFTER TURNING OFF THE RWY AND NOTICED THE APCH FREQ STILL IN THE RADIO'S ACTIVE. WE THEN SWITCHED TO TWR TO ASK IF WE COULD GO TO GND FREQ. THE TWR SAID 'AFFIRMATIVE' AND THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS SAID. I FEEL FREQ SATURATION AND DISTR PLAYED THE LARGEST PART IN 2 CREW MEMBERS AND THE CTLRS ALL FAILING TO NOTICE THE PROBLEM. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS EVER HOLDING SHORT TO CAUSE A POSSIBLE PROBLEM, AND THE RWY WAS CLRED. I DON'T SEE A QUICK FIX OF ANY REMEDY THAT WILL TOTALLY ALLEVIATE MISTAKES OF THIS NATURE, BUT I KNOW OF 2 PLTS THAT WILL BE MORE AWARE OF LNDG CLRNCS IN THE FUTURE. IN MOST INSTANCES WHERE APCH DELAYS, OR FAILURE TO MAKE THE HDOF TO TWR, THE PLTS QUERY, AND THE 'CHKS AND BALS SYS' WORKS. BUT WHEN BOTH SIDES SLIP UP IT WOULD SEEM THAT ONE MORE THING COULD BE DONE SO EVERYONE IS COMMUNICATING. AND THAT WOULD BE FOR TWR TO CONTACT THE APCH INDIVIDUAL TO QUERY HIM OR HAVE HIM QUERY THE PLTS TO THE PROBLEM BEFORE LNDG IS MADE.

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.