Flight crew of an medium large transport landed without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	310723
Time
Date	199507
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mdw
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : mdw
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 400
ASRS Report	310723
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far non adherence : clearance non adherence : published procedure 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:

On approach to mdw we were kept very high. Neither the captain nor myself had been to mdw for a long time (yrs for myself). When we were allowed to descend the captain did so but not very aggressively. On final we were very high. I thought that we should go around but we still had plenty of time because we were about 2000 ft AGL, the captain then began a maximum effort descent. Approach control advised me to switch to tower. I did not do this. I was very busy watching the approach. We were in a steep descent, in landing confign, and throttles at idle. I knew that it was critical that we get the engines spooled up before landing. He did spool up the engines at about 100 ft AGL and we landed uneventfully. Upon clearing the runway I realized that I was still on approach control frequency and had not received a landing clearance. Factors that led up to this were mainly being high on the approach and yet we continued, thus I was distracted. We were this high due to a lack of familiarity with mdw as well as a lack of situational awareness. We were high on final because of the captain's decision to continue an unstabilized approach as well as the fact that I did not share my opinion that we should go around. I did not share my opinion because of being intimidated by capts in the past and feeling disempowered as a mere first officer.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MLG LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: ON APCH TO MDW WE WERE KEPT VERY HIGH. NEITHER THE CAPT NOR MYSELF HAD BEEN TO MDW FOR A LONG TIME (YRS FOR MYSELF). WHEN WE WERE ALLOWED TO DSND THE CAPT DID SO BUT NOT VERY AGGRESSIVELY. ON FINAL WE WERE VERY HIGH. I THOUGHT THAT WE SHOULD GO AROUND BUT WE STILL HAD PLENTY OF TIME BECAUSE WE WERE ABOUT 2000 FT AGL, THE CAPT THEN BEGAN A MAX EFFORT DSCNT. APCH CTL ADVISED ME TO SWITCH TO TWR. I DID NOT DO THIS. I WAS VERY BUSY WATCHING THE APCH. WE WERE IN A STEEP DSCNT, IN LNDG CONFIGN, AND THROTTLES AT IDLE. I KNEW THAT IT WAS CRITICAL THAT WE GET THE ENGS SPOOLED UP BEFORE LNDG. HE DID SPOOL UP THE ENGS AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. UPON CLRING THE RWY I REALIZED THAT I WAS STILL ON APCH CTL FREQ AND HAD NOT RECEIVED A LNDG CLRNC. FACTORS THAT LED UP TO THIS WERE MAINLY BEING HIGH ON THE APCH AND YET WE CONTINUED, THUS I WAS DISTRACTED. WE WERE THIS HIGH DUE TO A LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH MDW AS WELL AS A LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. WE WERE HIGH ON FINAL BECAUSE OF THE CAPT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE AN UNSTABILIZED APCH AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT I DID NOT SHARE MY OPINION THAT WE SHOULD GAR. I DID NOT SHARE MY OPINION BECAUSE OF BEING INTIMIDATED BY CAPTS IN THE PAST AND FEELING DISEMPOWERED AS A MERE FO.

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.