Unauthorized landing - a fatigued flight crew lands without benefit of a clearance.

Attributes
ACN	301180
Time
Date	199503
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : abe
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : abe
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	landing other
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 140 flight time total : 9800 flight time type : 900
ASRS Report	301180
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	300489
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We landed at abe without landing clearance. We were working with approach control and were vectored for a short approach. After landing we realized we had not switched to tower. Contributing factors: fatigue, I had not been able to get more than 2 hours of sleep the night before (XA54 and show time). The sunrise and haze made finding the airport difficult. Short approach with high workload. Aircraft configuring and checklists. Approach control did not hand us off to tower. We thought we were on a single frequency approach, this often happens in the early morning hours when one controller is working approach, local, and ground. Supplemental information from acn 300489: my first officer said we were cleared to land, but we had not been. Contributing were fatigue and a rushed landing checklist because we picked up the field visually pretty close in.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNAUTH LNDG - A FATIGUED FLC LANDS WITHOUT BENEFIT OF A CLRNC.

Narrative: WE LANDED AT ABE WITHOUT LNDG CLRNC. WE WERE WORKING WITH APCH CTL AND WERE VECTORED FOR A SHORT APCH. AFTER LNDG WE REALIZED WE HAD NOT SWITCHED TO TWR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: FATIGUE, I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET MORE THAN 2 HRS OF SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE (XA54 AND SHOW TIME). THE SUNRISE AND HAZE MADE FINDING THE ARPT DIFFICULT. SHORT APCH WITH HIGH WORKLOAD. ACFT CONFIGURING AND CHKLISTS. APCH CTL DID NOT HAND US OFF TO TWR. WE THOUGHT WE WERE ON A SINGLE FREQ APCH, THIS OFTEN HAPPENS IN THE EARLY MORNING HRS WHEN ONE CTLR IS WORKING APCH, LCL, AND GND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 300489: MY FO SAID WE WERE CLRED TO LAND, BUT WE HAD NOT BEEN. CONTRIBUTING WERE FATIGUE AND A RUSHED LNDG CHKLIST BECAUSE WE PICKED UP THE FIELD VISUALLY PRETTY CLOSE IN.

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.