Narrative:

Salem tower cleared our trainer to land. We then requested a touch-and-go. Without obtaining the requests clearance nxxx did execute a touch-and-go. The student is an elderly gentleman whom is having difficulty aviating, navigating and communicating in no particular order. The flight instructor was frustrated almost to despair thus also a little distracted. The flight instructor knew the very instant the tower called what their error had been. In the future this flight instructor will pay more careful attention to controller instructions. The tower was phoned several times as requested, but there was no answer. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the instructor pilot said that he attempted to call the tower as instructed, but nobody answered. The student was an experienced pilot, but he was not performing very well. The student was having trouble staying ahead of the C-152 and the instructor was distracted trying to keep the student and the aircraft under control and he did not realize that the touch-and-go maneuver had not been approved. The tower controller asked the instructor to call him after he landed, but after numerous attempts and no answer the instructor gave up. The student was killed several weeks later while performing altitude aerobatics in his own aircraft.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TFC PATTERN PROC. A TRAINING FLT REQUESTED A TOUCH-AND-GO FROM THE TWR AND NOT RECEIVING THE CLRNC DID ONE ANYWAY.

Narrative: SALEM TWR CLRED OUR TRAINER TO LAND. WE THEN REQUESTED A TOUCH-AND-GO. WITHOUT OBTAINING THE REQUESTS CLRNC NXXX DID EXECUTE A TOUCH-AND-GO. THE STUDENT IS AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN WHOM IS HAVING DIFFICULTY AVIATING, NAVING AND COMMUNICATING IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. THE FLT INSTRUCTOR WAS FRUSTRATED ALMOST TO DESPAIR THUS ALSO A LITTLE DISTRACTED. THE FLT INSTRUCTOR KNEW THE VERY INSTANT THE TWR CALLED WHAT THEIR ERROR HAD BEEN. IN THE FUTURE THIS FLT INSTRUCTOR WILL PAY MORE CAREFUL ATTN TO CTLR INSTRUCTIONS. THE TWR WAS PHONED SEVERAL TIMES AS REQUESTED, BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE INSTRUCTOR PLT SAID THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE TWR AS INSTRUCTED, BUT NOBODY ANSWERED. THE STUDENT WAS AN EXPERIENCED PLT, BUT HE WAS NOT PERFORMING VERY WELL. THE STUDENT WAS HAVING TROUBLE STAYING AHEAD OF THE C-152 AND THE INSTRUCTOR WAS DISTRACTED TRYING TO KEEP THE STUDENT AND THE ACFT UNDER CTL AND HE DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE TOUCH-AND-GO MANEUVER HAD NOT BEEN APPROVED. THE TWR CTLR ASKED THE INSTRUCTOR TO CALL HIM AFTER HE LANDED, BUT AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS AND NO ANSWER THE INSTRUCTOR GAVE UP. THE STUDENT WAS KILLED SEVERAL WKS LATER WHILE PERFORMING ALT AEROBATICS IN HIS OWN ACFT.

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.