Narrative:

Flight is cleared by ATC for ILS runway 12. At 8 DME, approach advises visibility is 1 mi in rain, call cancun on 118.6. We switch to tower, tower is reading a clearance in spanish, followed by a readback in spanish and more instructions in spanish. The cockpit becomes busy, we are in rain, I am flying, visibility is poor and I am asking for windshield wipers on 3/4 speed. I still can't see well, and first officer increases wiper speed too high. (727 wipers are loud.) I land and taxi off. Tower says we landed without clearance, and they had cleared another aircraft for takeoff who had seen us on final and held short of the runway. The first officer did not recall if tower had been called. When I called tower to ask if it was going to be a problem, she said no report would be filed, she was too busy with other duties such as reading clrncs to call us when we were in the air, or receive handoff from approach control. Cancun is overwhelmed at times with traffic, and should have another controller working clearance and ground. Handoff to tower should occur sooner than 1 mi prior to final approach fix, so we can get our call in. Supplemental information from acn 287944: taxiing for departure at cun, raining, cleared for takeoff. After we pass the hold short line to takeoff, first officer puts his hand on mine on the power levers and says 'stop.' I look past him and see an aircraft on very short final -- maybe 100 ft high and stop. After the aircraft lands, we advise cun tower we will hold short. Cun tower advises us the landing aircraft had not spoken to the tower and approach had not advised an aircraft was landing. The tower had an estimate of XA27 after the hour for a landing aircraft. The aircraft actually landed at XA24. First officer averted a potentially deadly situation by being very observant at that critical time as we were taking the runway for takeoff.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR LGT NEARLY LANDED ON TOP OF ANOTHER ACR LGT AT CUN.

Narrative: FLT IS CLRED BY ATC FOR ILS RWY 12. AT 8 DME, APCH ADVISES VISIBILITY IS 1 MI IN RAIN, CALL CANCUN ON 118.6. WE SWITCH TO TWR, TWR IS READING A CLRNC IN SPANISH, FOLLOWED BY A READBACK IN SPANISH AND MORE INSTRUCTIONS IN SPANISH. THE COCKPIT BECOMES BUSY, WE ARE IN RAIN, I AM FLYING, VISIBILITY IS POOR AND I AM ASKING FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON 3/4 SPD. I STILL CAN'T SEE WELL, AND FO INCREASES WIPER SPD TOO HIGH. (727 WIPERS ARE LOUD.) I LAND AND TAXI OFF. TWR SAYS WE LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC, AND THEY HAD CLRED ANOTHER ACFT FOR TKOF WHO HAD SEEN US ON FINAL AND HELD SHORT OF THE RWY. THE FO DID NOT RECALL IF TWR HAD BEEN CALLED. WHEN I CALLED TWR TO ASK IF IT WAS GOING TO BE A PROB, SHE SAID NO RPT WOULD BE FILED, SHE WAS TOO BUSY WITH OTHER DUTIES SUCH AS READING CLRNCS TO CALL US WHEN WE WERE IN THE AIR, OR RECEIVE HDOF FROM APCH CTL. CANCUN IS OVERWHELMED AT TIMES WITH TFC, AND SHOULD HAVE ANOTHER CTLR WORKING CLRNC AND GND. HDOF TO TWR SHOULD OCCUR SOONER THAN 1 MI PRIOR TO FINAL APCH FIX, SO WE CAN GET OUR CALL IN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 287944: TAXIING FOR DEP AT CUN, RAINING, CLRED FOR TKOF. AFTER WE PASS THE HOLD SHORT LINE TO TKOF, FO PUTS HIS HAND ON MINE ON THE PWR LEVERS AND SAYS 'STOP.' I LOOK PAST HIM AND SEE AN ACFT ON VERY SHORT FINAL -- MAYBE 100 FT HIGH AND STOP. AFTER THE ACFT LANDS, WE ADVISE CUN TWR WE WILL HOLD SHORT. CUN TWR ADVISES US THE LNDG ACFT HAD NOT SPOKEN TO THE TWR AND APCH HAD NOT ADVISED AN ACFT WAS LNDG. THE TWR HAD AN ESTIMATE OF XA27 AFTER THE HR FOR A LNDG ACFT. THE ACFT ACTUALLY LANDED AT XA24. FO AVERTED A POTENTIALLY DEADLY SIT BY BEING VERY OBSERVANT AT THAT CRITICAL TIME AS WE WERE TAKING THE RWY FOR TKOF.

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.