Narrative:

This was a cross country training flight. Student's first flight to controled airport. Greer approach hand us off to greenville downtown tower, 6 NM out to the northeast, airport 12 O'clock. Student contacts tower 5 NM out. Tower clears us to land runway 18. Altitude at that moment 2500 ft MSL. Student starts descent, heading 250 degrees to intercept final. During turn to final we see another airplane, an small aircraft, appearing. Airplane was in a glide, it lost its engine. It was off to our right. Could not see it any earlier because it was obstructed by our right wing. As we turned final, lifting our right wing we could see the small aircraft. Tower realized collision danger and tells us to make right turn. We could not comply and made left turn, explaining tower why. Tower approves turn. We see small aircraft disappearing behind tree line. Later on we saw he made a safe emergency landing on a road. Completing our 360 degree left we see an small transport on final approach, same altitude, about 1 mi to our right. I decide to make another 360 degree left to stay clear of small transport. Tower was busy with the small aircraft. Then I understand that tower wants me to continue on final, do not really pick up whether I am cleared to land. Tower tells small transport to continue overhead to join a left downwind runway 18. We set up our final approach. At that moment we saw the small aircraft sitting on the road talking to tower explaining he made a safe emergency landing, no damage, no injuries. We are approaching short final. As soon as the small aircraft gets off the frequency, I am asking tower whether I am cleared to land, because I wasn't quite sure about it. Tower does not reply. I think about a go around but with a helicopter approaching out of the west, an small transport overhead, an airplane doing his run-up, I decided to land. That is at least one airplane less to take care of for an, at the time, overloaded controller. As you probably understand already, I landed without a landing clearance. Tower tells me to turn right off the runway, taxi to the ramp and to contact him. I walked in, talked to the airport manager, and told him the story I just wrote down. He would contact me tomorrow or as soon as he has listened to the tapes and will let me know whether I will be violated or not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH LNDG. LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: THIS WAS A XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT. STUDENT'S FIRST FLT TO CTLED ARPT. GREER APCH HAND US OFF TO GREENVILLE DOWNTOWN TWR, 6 NM OUT TO THE NE, ARPT 12 O'CLOCK. STUDENT CONTACTS TWR 5 NM OUT. TWR CLRS US TO LAND RWY 18. ALT AT THAT MOMENT 2500 FT MSL. STUDENT STARTS DSCNT, HDG 250 DEGS TO INTERCEPT FINAL. DURING TURN TO FINAL WE SEE ANOTHER AIRPLANE, AN SMA, APPEARING. AIRPLANE WAS IN A GLIDE, IT LOST ITS ENG. IT WAS OFF TO OUR R. COULD NOT SEE IT ANY EARLIER BECAUSE IT WAS OBSTRUCTED BY OUR R WING. AS WE TURNED FINAL, LIFTING OUR R WING WE COULD SEE THE SMA. TWR REALIZED COLLISION DANGER AND TELLS US TO MAKE R TURN. WE COULD NOT COMPLY AND MADE L TURN, EXPLAINING TWR WHY. TWR APPROVES TURN. WE SEE SMA DISAPPEARING BEHIND TREE LINE. LATER ON WE SAW HE MADE A SAFE EMER LNDG ON A ROAD. COMPLETING OUR 360 DEG L WE SEE AN SMT ON FINAL APCH, SAME ALT, ABOUT 1 MI TO OUR R. I DECIDE TO MAKE ANOTHER 360 DEG L TO STAY CLR OF SMT. TWR WAS BUSY WITH THE SMA. THEN I UNDERSTAND THAT TWR WANTS ME TO CONTINUE ON FINAL, DO NOT REALLY PICK UP WHETHER I AM CLRED TO LAND. TWR TELLS SMT TO CONTINUE OVERHEAD TO JOIN A L DOWNWIND RWY 18. WE SET UP OUR FINAL APCH. AT THAT MOMENT WE SAW THE SMA SITTING ON THE ROAD TALKING TO TWR EXPLAINING HE MADE A SAFE EMER LNDG, NO DAMAGE, NO INJURIES. WE ARE APCHING SHORT FINAL. AS SOON AS THE SMA GETS OFF THE FREQ, I AM ASKING TWR WHETHER I AM CLRED TO LAND, BECAUSE I WASN'T QUITE SURE ABOUT IT. TWR DOES NOT REPLY. I THINK ABOUT A GAR BUT WITH A HELI APCHING OUT OF THE W, AN SMT OVERHEAD, AN AIRPLANE DOING HIS RUN-UP, I DECIDED TO LAND. THAT IS AT LEAST ONE AIRPLANE LESS TO TAKE CARE OF FOR AN, AT THE TIME, OVERLOADED CTLR. AS YOU PROBABLY UNDERSTAND ALREADY, I LANDED WITHOUT A LNDG CLRNC. TWR TELLS ME TO TURN R OFF THE RWY, TAXI TO THE RAMP AND TO CONTACT HIM. I WALKED IN, TALKED TO THE ARPT MGR, AND TOLD HIM THE STORY I JUST WROTE DOWN. HE WOULD CONTACT ME TOMORROW OR AS SOON AS HE HAS LISTENED TO THE TAPES AND WILL LET ME KNOW WHETHER I WILL BE VIOLATED OR NOT.

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.