Narrative:

I was 25 mi out to the southwest before I could get through to approach control. This guy had been talking straight for quite some distance, but I finally got an acknowledgement and a squawk code, and a clearance for a right base to runway 13L. The 13 on the north side is the GA strip, the 13 on the south side is the only jet runway. Before I had gone the 25 mi, I had received no less than 4 TA's. At least 1 of them was a 2 aircraft advisory, involving 2 other aircraft at my 10 O'clock and 2 O'clock, -- all 3 aircraft converging, with no altitude information. That is another factor. When the sky is crowded with mode south transponder packets, this little arsa radar starts dropping altitude information on targets. That and the set in of coast mode, indicated by a little 'C' on the lower right section of the data block, after the antenna has gone around 3 times without a real transponder reply in the clear. Anyway, each of my advisories was a 'less than a mi' type of thing before I was advised. Everybody else was in the same boat. I tried to count how many words per min approach was speaking, but I can't listen that fast. As things progressed, I was over downtown when approach advised me to change my runway to 13R. Unexpected, unusual, but no problem. He said it twice. He apparently was concerned that I hear it. I repeated the clearance by stating 'aye bee EEE (to make sure it was for me) one-three-right.' now, as I recall, it became short final, and I had not been advised to contact the tower, and I have a witness -- a passenger -- to that effect. I thought it prudent to inquire 'abe, are we cleared to land' (should ought we not be on tower)? I couldn't have done it sooner, because there was no air time available. This was the first pause that I could grab without interfering with some communication. There continued this stream of voice from the TRACON, with no acknowledgement. At the first gap, I repeated. We were getting close to the threshold. The stream continued, so at the first pause I repeated. By this time I was not waiting for a gap, to allow another pilot to respond to his clearance, but was seizing upon the first millisecond of dead air static. I was in the flair. I decided to maintain an altitude of 3 ft above the runway, plus or minus 2 inches, whilst repeatedly asking whether I was cleared to land. Meanwhile, my passenger pointed out that I was 1/4 down the runway. I finally received acknowledgement from the TRACON: 'abe contact the tower.' I had already set up a 41 KT airspeed, 3 ft off the runway, the flaps out, and now I have an opportunity to switch my attention to the radio stack. My passenger was wondering if I was going to land on the runway, or in the golf course at the end of the runway. 'Tower, abe, am I cleared to land?' the reply was in the affirmative, and cautioned about the jet already over the numbers behind me. Then I was asked to contact ground. My passenger had flown with me quite a bit, but wasn't really expecting, after receiving 'clear to land' 3 ft northwest of the top of the runway 31L numbers on the runway, that I could get it down and stopped by 1 ft southeast of the base of those numbers. When I turned off the runway, I contacted ground. 'Abe, the first we heard from you was when you were 1/2 way down the runway.' 'that's because approach did not clear me to tower frequency until I was 1/4 way down the runway.' 'that could explain it. We were wondering why you were doing the perfect slow flight exactly 3 ft off the ground.' 'I didn't have clearance to land.' the remaining conversation had to do with taxi to parking. There was no request to contact anybody by telephone.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT FLEW LOW AND SLOW DOWN RWY AWAITING LNDG CLRNC FROM TWR.

Narrative: I WAS 25 MI OUT TO THE SW BEFORE I COULD GET THROUGH TO APCH CTL. THIS GUY HAD BEEN TALKING STRAIGHT FOR QUITE SOME DISTANCE, BUT I FINALLY GOT AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND A SQUAWK CODE, AND A CLRNC FOR A R BASE TO RWY 13L. THE 13 ON THE N SIDE IS THE GA STRIP, THE 13 ON THE S SIDE IS THE ONLY JET RWY. BEFORE I HAD GONE THE 25 MI, I HAD RECEIVED NO LESS THAN 4 TA'S. AT LEAST 1 OF THEM WAS A 2 ACFT ADVISORY, INVOLVING 2 OTHER ACFT AT MY 10 O'CLOCK AND 2 O'CLOCK, -- ALL 3 ACFT CONVERGING, WITH NO ALT INFO. THAT IS ANOTHER FACTOR. WHEN THE SKY IS CROWDED WITH MODE S XPONDER PACKETS, THIS LITTLE ARSA RADAR STARTS DROPPING ALT INFO ON TARGETS. THAT AND THE SET IN OF COAST MODE, INDICATED BY A LITTLE 'C' ON THE LOWER R SECTION OF THE DATA BLOCK, AFTER THE ANTENNA HAS GONE AROUND 3 TIMES WITHOUT A REAL XPONDER REPLY IN THE CLR. ANYWAY, EACH OF MY ADVISORIES WAS A 'LESS THAN A MI' TYPE OF THING BEFORE I WAS ADVISED. EVERYBODY ELSE WAS IN THE SAME BOAT. I TRIED TO COUNT HOW MANY WORDS PER MIN APCH WAS SPEAKING, BUT I CAN'T LISTEN THAT FAST. AS THINGS PROGRESSED, I WAS OVER DOWNTOWN WHEN APCH ADVISED ME TO CHANGE MY RWY TO 13R. UNEXPECTED, UNUSUAL, BUT NO PROB. HE SAID IT TWICE. HE APPARENTLY WAS CONCERNED THAT I HEAR IT. I REPEATED THE CLRNC BY STATING 'AYE BEE EEE (TO MAKE SURE IT WAS FOR ME) ONE-THREE-RIGHT.' NOW, AS I RECALL, IT BECAME SHORT FINAL, AND I HAD NOT BEEN ADVISED TO CONTACT THE TWR, AND I HAVE A WITNESS -- A PAX -- TO THAT EFFECT. I THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO INQUIRE 'ABE, ARE WE CLRED TO LAND' (SHOULD OUGHT WE NOT BE ON TWR)? I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT SOONER, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO AIR TIME AVAILABLE. THIS WAS THE FIRST PAUSE THAT I COULD GRAB WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH SOME COM. THERE CONTINUED THIS STREAM OF VOICE FROM THE TRACON, WITH NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. AT THE FIRST GAP, I REPEATED. WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO THE THRESHOLD. THE STREAM CONTINUED, SO AT THE FIRST PAUSE I REPEATED. BY THIS TIME I WAS NOT WAITING FOR A GAP, TO ALLOW ANOTHER PLT TO RESPOND TO HIS CLRNC, BUT WAS SEIZING UPON THE FIRST MILLISECOND OF DEAD AIR STATIC. I WAS IN THE FLAIR. I DECIDED TO MAINTAIN AN ALT OF 3 FT ABOVE THE RWY, PLUS OR MINUS 2 INCHES, WHILST REPEATEDLY ASKING WHETHER I WAS CLRED TO LAND. MEANWHILE, MY PAX POINTED OUT THAT I WAS 1/4 DOWN THE RWY. I FINALLY RECEIVED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE TRACON: 'ABE CONTACT THE TWR.' I HAD ALREADY SET UP A 41 KT AIRSPD, 3 FT OFF THE RWY, THE FLAPS OUT, AND NOW I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SWITCH MY ATTN TO THE RADIO STACK. MY PAX WAS WONDERING IF I WAS GOING TO LAND ON THE RWY, OR IN THE GOLF COURSE AT THE END OF THE RWY. 'TWR, ABE, AM I CLRED TO LAND?' THE REPLY WAS IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND CAUTIONED ABOUT THE JET ALREADY OVER THE NUMBERS BEHIND ME. THEN I WAS ASKED TO CONTACT GND. MY PAX HAD FLOWN WITH ME QUITE A BIT, BUT WASN'T REALLY EXPECTING, AFTER RECEIVING 'CLR TO LAND' 3 FT NW OF THE TOP OF THE RWY 31L NUMBERS ON THE RWY, THAT I COULD GET IT DOWN AND STOPPED BY 1 FT SE OF THE BASE OF THOSE NUMBERS. WHEN I TURNED OFF THE RWY, I CONTACTED GND. 'ABE, THE FIRST WE HEARD FROM YOU WAS WHEN YOU WERE 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY.' 'THAT'S BECAUSE APCH DID NOT CLR ME TO TWR FREQ UNTIL I WAS 1/4 WAY DOWN THE RWY.' 'THAT COULD EXPLAIN IT. WE WERE WONDERING WHY YOU WERE DOING THE PERFECT SLOW FLT EXACTLY 3 FT OFF THE GND.' 'I DIDN'T HAVE CLRNC TO LAND.' THE REMAINING CONVERSATION HAD TO DO WITH TAXI TO PARKING. THERE WAS NO REQUEST TO CONTACT ANYBODY BY TELEPHONE.

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.