Narrative:

At no point was there a conflict with other traffic. I was plting MD80 from iah to den. We were being handled by den approach. On wide right base I was kept high by ATC and when cleared for visual approach, I had to maneuver around a rain (virga) shaft just southeast of final. Wind gusts from cloud, plus me being slightly high on approach kept my airspeed high. I called for gear down, landing checklist which kept the captain busy. I had to keep from overshooting as a B737 was to my left on parallel approach and we were both very absorbed with the flight at that moment. My aircraft was having trouble slowing down and getting back down to the GS and we were both thinking that a windshear (tailwind) might be coming next and be prepared for windshear recovery and go around. As I rolled onto localizer, approach turned us over to tower. Captain was busy with landing checklist, so I selected tower frequency for captain and said 'here's tower.' at that point I was too busy to notice the captain had not contacted tower for landing clearance. After landing I discovered we were on approach frequency and we had not received landing clearance. I contacted tower on the taxiway, he cleared us across runway 35L and told us to contact ground. I called ground and he cleared us to parking. At no time did we get a tailwind from shear. My aircraft was stabilized on final, on GS at 1000 ft AGL so I made the landing, but I was quite preoccupied with the thought of shear and to go around as was the captain, I presume, and I failed to back up the captain with the landing clearance. The captain failed to get a landing clearance from tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN MD80 FAILED TO CONTACT TWR RESULTING IN LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: AT NO POINT WAS THERE A CONFLICT WITH OTHER TFC. I WAS PLTING MD80 FROM IAH TO DEN. WE WERE BEING HANDLED BY DEN APCH. ON WIDE R BASE I WAS KEPT HIGH BY ATC AND WHEN CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH, I HAD TO MANEUVER AROUND A RAIN (VIRGA) SHAFT JUST SE OF FINAL. WIND GUSTS FROM CLOUD, PLUS ME BEING SLIGHTLY HIGH ON APCH KEPT MY AIRSPD HIGH. I CALLED FOR GEAR DOWN, LNDG CHKLIST WHICH KEPT THE CAPT BUSY. I HAD TO KEEP FROM OVERSHOOTING AS A B737 WAS TO MY L ON PARALLEL APCH AND WE WERE BOTH VERY ABSORBED WITH THE FLT AT THAT MOMENT. MY ACFT WAS HAVING TROUBLE SLOWING DOWN AND GETTING BACK DOWN TO THE GS AND WE WERE BOTH THINKING THAT A WINDSHEAR (TAILWIND) MIGHT BE COMING NEXT AND BE PREPARED FOR WINDSHEAR RECOVERY AND GAR. AS I ROLLED ONTO LOC, APCH TURNED US OVER TO TWR. CAPT WAS BUSY WITH LNDG CHKLIST, SO I SELECTED TWR FREQ FOR CAPT AND SAID 'HERE'S TWR.' AT THAT POINT I WAS TOO BUSY TO NOTICE THE CAPT HAD NOT CONTACTED TWR FOR LNDG CLRNC. AFTER LNDG I DISCOVERED WE WERE ON APCH FREQ AND WE HAD NOT RECEIVED LNDG CLRNC. I CONTACTED TWR ON THE TXWY, HE CLRED US ACROSS RWY 35L AND TOLD US TO CONTACT GND. I CALLED GND AND HE CLRED US TO PARKING. AT NO TIME DID WE GET A TAILWIND FROM SHEAR. MY ACFT WAS STABILIZED ON FINAL, ON GS AT 1000 FT AGL SO I MADE THE LNDG, BUT I WAS QUITE PREOCCUPIED WITH THE THOUGHT OF SHEAR AND TO GAR AS WAS THE CAPT, I PRESUME, AND I FAILED TO BACK UP THE CAPT WITH THE LNDG CLRNC. THE CAPT FAILED TO GET A LNDG CLRNC FROM TWR.

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.