Possible unauthorized landing land without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	299306
Time
Date	199503
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : jln
State Reference	MO
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : jln
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	landing other other
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 235 flight time total : 2615 flight time type : 474
ASRS Report	299306
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

During approach into joplin, ZKC cleared me for the visual approach and handed me over to the joplin tower. I was relatively high for the approach, generally ZKC has to hold aircraft at a higher altitude while proceeding into joplin in order to maintain radar contact. After contact, joplin tower asked me to report turning final for runway 18. During the approach, I was distracted due to poor planning of the descent and light to moderate turbulence and do not recall reporting the turn to final or receiving the clearance to land. After landing and taxiing off the runway, I contacted ground control to receive clearance to taxi to parking. Tower and ground controller had said nothing to me about this, but after I contacted ground I could not remember the tower clearing me to land. It is possible that the tower did give me clearance but I was so focused on fighting the turbulence and trying to decide whether to do a go around or a 360 degree turn to lose altitude, that if I did receive the clearance it did not leave an impression on me. As a solution for me I am going to include 'clearance to land' as a pre-landing checklist item.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POSSIBLE UNAUTH LNDG LAND WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: DURING APCH INTO JOPLIN, ZKC CLRED ME FOR THE VISUAL APCH AND HANDED ME OVER TO THE JOPLIN TWR. I WAS RELATIVELY HIGH FOR THE APCH, GENERALLY ZKC HAS TO HOLD ACFT AT A HIGHER ALT WHILE PROCEEDING INTO JOPLIN IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN RADAR CONTACT. AFTER CONTACT, JOPLIN TWR ASKED ME TO RPT TURNING FINAL FOR RWY 18. DURING THE APCH, I WAS DISTRACTED DUE TO POOR PLANNING OF THE DSCNT AND LIGHT TO MODERATE TURB AND DO NOT RECALL RPTING THE TURN TO FINAL OR RECEIVING THE CLRNC TO LAND. AFTER LNDG AND TAXIING OFF THE RWY, I CONTACTED GND CTL TO RECEIVE CLRNC TO TAXI TO PARKING. TWR AND GND CTLR HAD SAID NOTHING TO ME ABOUT THIS, BUT AFTER I CONTACTED GND I COULD NOT REMEMBER THE TWR CLRING ME TO LAND. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE TWR DID GIVE ME CLRNC BUT I WAS SO FOCUSED ON FIGHTING THE TURB AND TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER TO DO A GAR OR A 360 DEG TURN TO LOSE ALT, THAT IF I DID RECEIVE THE CLRNC IT DID NOT LEAVE AN IMPRESSION ON ME. AS A SOLUTION FOR ME I AM GOING TO INCLUDE 'CLRNC TO LAND' AS A PRE-LNDG CHKLIST ITEM.

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.