Narrative:

Our flight from cha to atl was delayed for 53 mins because the winds in atl had been shifting 180 degrees all day, resulting in numerous runway changes and backed up traffic. As we sat on the ground in cha, one passenger came up to the cockpit and essentially told us we were lying to the passenger because, as he put it, 'I was a navy pilot and winds don't act like that.' the captain took offense to this, and a few words were exchanged before the passenger went back to his seat. I add this because I believe it was another distraction for the captain, although I don't think it affected me very much. Finally ATC let us leave, and we found out how bad things were. We climbed to 13000 ft and experienced moderate chop almost immediately. We descended to 11000 ft, but the chop was still pretty bad. The farther south we flew, the more choppy it was at all altitudes. We just had to 'ride it out.' we listened to the ATIS and heard atl was landing to the west. When we switched to approach control, they told us to 'expect runway 26R, winds 130 at 13 KTS,' which were right at out tailwind limits. Soon other aircraft on the frequency started requesting to land to the east, and we put in our request also. Approach agreed and they started vectoring planes to land on runways 8L and 9R, depending on what the tower could accept (I guess). We flew well east of the airport, then were turned around to head west. All the while we were in moderate chop, with airspeed changes of plus or minus 30 KTS at 8000 ft. We were in the clear, but the clouds below had formed an overcast deck at the airport, although ATIS was calling them broken. We droned on out west and finally were turned onto final for the ILS to runway 8L. We performed out before landing checklist and contacted the tower at the OM. He merely said 'continue.' we entered the clouds and I was busy checking for icing and making sure the anti-ice equipment was all functioning. The captain was flying the approach, concentrating hard on the airspeed indicator, looking for windshear which we were both sure we'd get. At about 1000 ft AGL, the captain asked me to get a wind check, which idid. The tower replied 'calm.' there was little or no other talking on the frequency as I recall. We continued down the GS, ready for windshear, but finding none. We soon realized the clouds were much lower than ATIS or anyone else had mentioned. I made my required callouts and we both looked for the runway.we broke out right at minimums, with relatively good visibility underneath. We landed and taxied clear of the runway. I reached up for my checklist and grabbed air, for my checklist was not in its usual parking place. It was still clipped to the yoke, my personal 'reminder' that we had not been cleared to land. I tried to think if we had been cleared and I had simply forgotten to replace my checklist, but no, I was (and am) certain we never received official 'government approval' to put our airplane on that landing strip. It's funny how you can be led down the 'primrose path' so easily. The surly passenger, the rough ride, the windshear at altitude, the low clouds, icing, runway changes, the quiet frequency -- they all set us up to have a sort of tunnel vision, which caused us to forget a relatively basic aspect of flying. And ATC didn't help us much either, but I think I know why he acted the way he did. I suspect he had been swapping runways all day and his brain had become 'waterlogged.' indeed, even after we landed, tower was taxiing airplanes all over the place, including down the takeoff (inboard) runway, trying to keep up with the shifting winds. So his day was just another link in the chain. (Still, I hate it when they say 'continue' when I'm flying an approach in the WX, in icing conditions, in turbulence, all primed and ready to respond to the major windshear encounter I'm sure is going to occur. 'Continue' just sets pilots up for landing without a clearance.) for my part, I usually notice a checklist on the yoke, but I had my approach plate clipped behind it, and I suspect my subconscious didn't react to the 'white' in front of me because it knew the approach plate was there. So I'll open the checklist and make it very noticeable the next time. Also, I normally call out a personal 'lifesaver' -- gear, flaps, clear runway and cleared to land, or something like that, for my own peace of mind, but with all the other things that were happening, I didn't do it on this approach. The one time I don't do it.... Finally, I find it ironic that we didn't 'get beat' by windshear, or icing, or low WX, or funky winds, or any other high profile abnormality. We got beat by plain old communications, or lack thereof. I'm just glad no one was on our runway when we broke out at 200 ft and landed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC DURING RWY CHANGE.

Narrative: OUR FLT FROM CHA TO ATL WAS DELAYED FOR 53 MINS BECAUSE THE WINDS IN ATL HAD BEEN SHIFTING 180 DEGS ALL DAY, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS RWY CHANGES AND BACKED UP TFC. AS WE SAT ON THE GND IN CHA, ONE PAX CAME UP TO THE COCKPIT AND ESSENTIALLY TOLD US WE WERE LYING TO THE PAX BECAUSE, AS HE PUT IT, 'I WAS A NAVY PLT AND WINDS DON'T ACT LIKE THAT.' THE CAPT TOOK OFFENSE TO THIS, AND A FEW WORDS WERE EXCHANGED BEFORE THE PAX WENT BACK TO HIS SEAT. I ADD THIS BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT WAS ANOTHER DISTR FOR THE CAPT, ALTHOUGH I DON'T THINK IT AFFECTED ME VERY MUCH. FINALLY ATC LET US LEAVE, AND WE FOUND OUT HOW BAD THINGS WERE. WE CLBED TO 13000 FT AND EXPERIENCED MODERATE CHOP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. WE DSNDED TO 11000 FT, BUT THE CHOP WAS STILL PRETTY BAD. THE FARTHER S WE FLEW, THE MORE CHOPPY IT WAS AT ALL ALTS. WE JUST HAD TO 'RIDE IT OUT.' WE LISTENED TO THE ATIS AND HEARD ATL WAS LNDG TO THE W. WHEN WE SWITCHED TO APCH CTL, THEY TOLD US TO 'EXPECT RWY 26R, WINDS 130 AT 13 KTS,' WHICH WERE RIGHT AT OUT TAILWIND LIMITS. SOON OTHER ACFT ON THE FREQ STARTED REQUESTING TO LAND TO THE E, AND WE PUT IN OUR REQUEST ALSO. APCH AGREED AND THEY STARTED VECTORING PLANES TO LAND ON RWYS 8L AND 9R, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE TWR COULD ACCEPT (I GUESS). WE FLEW WELL E OF THE ARPT, THEN WERE TURNED AROUND TO HEAD W. ALL THE WHILE WE WERE IN MODERATE CHOP, WITH AIRSPD CHANGES OF PLUS OR MINUS 30 KTS AT 8000 FT. WE WERE IN THE CLR, BUT THE CLOUDS BELOW HAD FORMED AN OVCST DECK AT THE ARPT, ALTHOUGH ATIS WAS CALLING THEM BROKEN. WE DRONED ON OUT W AND FINALLY WERE TURNED ONTO FINAL FOR THE ILS TO RWY 8L. WE PERFORMED OUT BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND CONTACTED THE TWR AT THE OM. HE MERELY SAID 'CONTINUE.' WE ENTERED THE CLOUDS AND I WAS BUSY CHKING FOR ICING AND MAKING SURE THE ANTI-ICE EQUIP WAS ALL FUNCTIONING. THE CAPT WAS FLYING THE APCH, CONCENTRATING HARD ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR, LOOKING FOR WINDSHEAR WHICH WE WERE BOTH SURE WE'D GET. AT ABOUT 1000 FT AGL, THE CAPT ASKED ME TO GET A WIND CHK, WHICH IDID. THE TWR REPLIED 'CALM.' THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO OTHER TALKING ON THE FREQ AS I RECALL. WE CONTINUED DOWN THE GS, READY FOR WINDSHEAR, BUT FINDING NONE. WE SOON REALIZED THE CLOUDS WERE MUCH LOWER THAN ATIS OR ANYONE ELSE HAD MENTIONED. I MADE MY REQUIRED CALLOUTS AND WE BOTH LOOKED FOR THE RWY.WE BROKE OUT RIGHT AT MINIMUMS, WITH RELATIVELY GOOD VISIBILITY UNDERNEATH. WE LANDED AND TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY. I REACHED UP FOR MY CHKLIST AND GRABBED AIR, FOR MY CHKLIST WAS NOT IN ITS USUAL PARKING PLACE. IT WAS STILL CLIPPED TO THE YOKE, MY PERSONAL 'REMINDER' THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO LAND. I TRIED TO THINK IF WE HAD BEEN CLRED AND I HAD SIMPLY FORGOTTEN TO REPLACE MY CHKLIST, BUT NO, I WAS (AND AM) CERTAIN WE NEVER RECEIVED OFFICIAL 'GOV APPROVAL' TO PUT OUR AIRPLANE ON THAT LNDG STRIP. IT'S FUNNY HOW YOU CAN BE LED DOWN THE 'PRIMROSE PATH' SO EASILY. THE SURLY PAX, THE ROUGH RIDE, THE WINDSHEAR AT ALT, THE LOW CLOUDS, ICING, RWY CHANGES, THE QUIET FREQ -- THEY ALL SET US UP TO HAVE A SORT OF TUNNEL VISION, WHICH CAUSED US TO FORGET A RELATIVELY BASIC ASPECT OF FLYING. AND ATC DIDN'T HELP US MUCH EITHER, BUT I THINK I KNOW WHY HE ACTED THE WAY HE DID. I SUSPECT HE HAD BEEN SWAPPING RWYS ALL DAY AND HIS BRAIN HAD BECOME 'WATERLOGGED.' INDEED, EVEN AFTER WE LANDED, TWR WAS TAXIING AIRPLANES ALL OVER THE PLACE, INCLUDING DOWN THE TKOF (INBOARD) RWY, TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE SHIFTING WINDS. SO HIS DAY WAS JUST ANOTHER LINK IN THE CHAIN. (STILL, I HATE IT WHEN THEY SAY 'CONTINUE' WHEN I'M FLYING AN APCH IN THE WX, IN ICING CONDITIONS, IN TURB, ALL PRIMED AND READY TO RESPOND TO THE MAJOR WINDSHEAR ENCOUNTER I'M SURE IS GOING TO OCCUR. 'CONTINUE' JUST SETS PLTS UP FOR LNDG WITHOUT A CLRNC.) FOR MY PART, I USUALLY NOTICE A CHKLIST ON THE YOKE, BUT I HAD MY APCH PLATE CLIPPED BEHIND IT, AND I SUSPECT MY SUBCONSCIOUS DIDN'T REACT TO THE 'WHITE' IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE IT KNEW THE APCH PLATE WAS THERE. SO I'LL OPEN THE CHKLIST AND MAKE IT VERY NOTICEABLE THE NEXT TIME. ALSO, I NORMALLY CALL OUT A PERSONAL 'LIFESAVER' -- GEAR, FLAPS, CLR RWY AND CLRED TO LAND, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, FOR MY OWN PEACE OF MIND, BUT WITH ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING, I DIDN'T DO IT ON THIS APCH. THE ONE TIME I DON'T DO IT.... FINALLY, I FIND IT IRONIC THAT WE DIDN'T 'GET BEAT' BY WINDSHEAR, OR ICING, OR LOW WX, OR FUNKY WINDS, OR ANY OTHER HIGH PROFILE ABNORMALITY. WE GOT BEAT BY PLAIN OLD COMS, OR LACK THEREOF. I'M JUST GLAD NO ONE WAS ON OUR RWY WHEN WE BROKE OUT AT 200 FT AND LANDED.

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.