Narrative:

I was flying right seat on a dead head leg allowing my first officer to get some left seat time. New orleans approach handed us off to houma tower. As it was the first time that my first officer had ever flown the plane, I was carefully monitoring his actions and the aircraft system. I really thought, and still think, that tower cleared us to land behind a light transport. I saw the light transport land as we turned in on a 3 mi left base. On a 1 mi final, I saw something on the runway and queried the tower as to what it was. The tower immediately contacted the helicopter taxiing down the runway. This was the first communication that I heard between tower and this helicopter. What puzzles me is that the tower asked the helicopter his intentions and informed him that there was a plane on short final who he was not talking to. I initiated a go around just as the tower asked us to go around. We were cleared for a left pattern and that was followed by an uneventful landing. Unfortunately, our company employees were waiting for us, which precluded my talking to the controller. It is possible that I missed a radio call while I was watching the first officer prepare to land, therefore, in the future, I will be aware of dividing my attention better. One last fact is I remember the helicopter reporting that he had just had a bird strike but needed no assistance. I don't know where the helicopter came from - whether he was landing or taking off, but the communication I heard between the helicopter and the tower was the first time I heard him on the radio.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP ACFT FAILS TO COM WITH TWR ON APCH. HELI ON RWY, CORP ACFT EXECUTES GAR.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING R SEAT ON A DEAD HEAD LEG ALLOWING MY FO TO GET SOME L SEAT TIME. NEW ORLEANS APCH HANDED US OFF TO HOUMA TWR. AS IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT MY FO HAD EVER FLOWN THE PLANE, I WAS CAREFULLY MONITORING HIS ACTIONS AND THE ACFT SYS. I REALLY THOUGHT, AND STILL THINK, THAT TWR CLRED US TO LAND BEHIND A LTT. I SAW THE LTT LAND AS WE TURNED IN ON A 3 MI L BASE. ON A 1 MI FINAL, I SAW SOMETHING ON THE RWY AND QUERIED THE TWR AS TO WHAT IT WAS. THE TWR IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE HELI TAXIING DOWN THE RWY. THIS WAS THE FIRST COM THAT I HEARD BTWN TWR AND THIS HELI. WHAT PUZZLES ME IS THAT THE TWR ASKED THE HELI HIS INTENTIONS AND INFORMED HIM THAT THERE WAS A PLANE ON SHORT FINAL WHO HE WAS NOT TALKING TO. I INITIATED A GAR JUST AS THE TWR ASKED US TO GAR. WE WERE CLRED FOR A L PATTERN AND THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR COMPANY EMPLOYEES WERE WAITING FOR US, WHICH PRECLUDED MY TALKING TO THE CTLR. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I MISSED A RADIO CALL WHILE I WAS WATCHING THE FO PREPARE TO LAND, THEREFORE, IN THE FUTURE, I WILL BE AWARE OF DIVIDING MY ATTN BETTER. ONE LAST FACT IS I REMEMBER THE HELI RPTING THAT HE HAD JUST HAD A BIRD STRIKE BUT NEEDED NO ASSISTANCE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE HELI CAME FROM - WHETHER HE WAS LNDG OR TAKING OFF, BUT THE COM I HEARD BTWN THE HELI AND THE TWR WAS THE FIRST TIME I HEARD HIM ON THE RADIO.

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.