Narrative:

Returned from local training flight with 2 cfii students. Approach told us to maintain, look for traffic. We saw him and were told to follow. We caught up to him. Local told us to watch spacing. Controller informed me that my radio was garbled, but I could hear him well. Preceding aircraft touched down, turned off, then we touched down. At moment of touchdown, I wondered if we had been cleared to land -- I could not remember. As we cleared, tower told us 'when I tell you to go around, go around, sir.' I/we did not hear any go around call from tower, nor did we expect one, as I thought spacing was a little close, although legal. I am positive tower did not tell us -- frequency was very busy, etc. However, that meant that I knew I did land without a clearance. If a controller was to send us around why would he clear me to land? I requested the tower telephone number from ground, called the tower supervisor. He said not to worry, because the controller could not recall if I had acknowledged the go around call. In fact had cleared me to land. I did not hear that either. My hearing is not that bad. I'm only 25! Conclusions: I was not cleared to land as far as I heard. Tower thought a radio failure had occurred in my aircraft so they cleared me to land, although I did not hear it. I will not touch down until I am positive I have a clearance to land!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA WITH INSTRUCTOR AND 2 INSTRUCTOR CANDIDATES ABOARD BELIEVES LAND WITHOUT CLRNC. CTLR HAD TOLD THEM GAR.

Narrative: RETURNED FROM LCL TRAINING FLT WITH 2 CFII STUDENTS. APCH TOLD US TO MAINTAIN, LOOK FOR TFC. WE SAW HIM AND WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW. WE CAUGHT UP TO HIM. LCL TOLD US TO WATCH SPACING. CTLR INFORMED ME THAT MY RADIO WAS GARBLED, BUT I COULD HEAR HIM WELL. PRECEDING ACFT TOUCHED DOWN, TURNED OFF, THEN WE TOUCHED DOWN. AT MOMENT OF TOUCHDOWN, I WONDERED IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND -- I COULD NOT REMEMBER. AS WE CLRED, TWR TOLD US 'WHEN I TELL YOU TO GAR, GAR, SIR.' I/WE DID NOT HEAR ANY GAR CALL FROM TWR, NOR DID WE EXPECT ONE, AS I THOUGHT SPACING WAS A LITTLE CLOSE, ALTHOUGH LEGAL. I AM POSITIVE TWR DID NOT TELL US -- FREQ WAS VERY BUSY, ETC. HOWEVER, THAT MEANT THAT I KNEW I DID LAND WITHOUT A CLRNC. IF A CTLR WAS TO SEND US AROUND WHY WOULD HE CLR ME TO LAND? I REQUESTED THE TWR TELEPHONE NUMBER FROM GND, CALLED THE TWR SUPVR. HE SAID NOT TO WORRY, BECAUSE THE CTLR COULD NOT RECALL IF I HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE GAR CALL. IN FACT HAD CLRED ME TO LAND. I DID NOT HEAR THAT EITHER. MY HEARING IS NOT THAT BAD. I'M ONLY 25! CONCLUSIONS: I WAS NOT CLRED TO LAND AS FAR AS I HEARD. TWR THOUGHT A RADIO FAILURE HAD OCCURRED IN MY ACFT SO THEY CLRED ME TO LAND, ALTHOUGH I DID NOT HEAR IT. I WILL NOT TOUCH DOWN UNTIL I AM POSITIVE I HAVE A 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.