D8 flight crew fails to contact tower. Lands without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	341590
Time
Date	199607
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : pdx
State Reference	OR
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Dash 8 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	landing other
Route In Use	approach : visual enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 180 flight time total : 13000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	341590
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far
Independent Detector	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:

While being vectored for traffic coming in from the south to pdx international we were transferred from one approach control frequency to another, 126.0, which we had never used before. This controller told us we were to stay with him all the way 'in.' then he began to vector us for several traffic watch aircraft that were over downtown portland as we were lining up for runway 3. He never told us to contact the tower anywhere along the way, as there are no landmarks, beacons, or such you use for a key on this visual approach. We continued our approach and got involved in the checklist and such and after we touched down and turned off we went to contact ground, but noticed that we had never talked to tower. The key words, 'cleared to land', neither my first officer nor I can remember hearing. We then contacted ground control and they just gave us taxi instructions to the gate, etc. Normally if you don't call the tower you get this voice that asks you the question. 'Did you guys get clearance to land???' but that didn't happen. We taxied on in and as I thought about it later I called the tower supervisor and asked her about the situation. She mentioned that there must have been a missed handoff during that time, and that the frequency 126.0 was something new that they were just trying that day to help visual traffic for runway 3, while runway 28L is closed. But after we landed we saw an MD11 land on runway 28L. Even though we had just gotten ATIS that it was closed. The tower supervisor did not remember anything special about the time we landed. No bells or whistles had gone off, so maybe it was just missed by all. Something to think about, but I wanted to let someone know what had happened while using this new frequency on a seldom used runway. I have made hundreds of lndgs at pdx over the last 9 yrs, but I can count on one hand the number of times I have used runway 3. This was a D8 scheduled arrival from medford, or.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: D8 FLC FAILS TO CONTACT TWR. LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR TFC COMING IN FROM THE S TO PDX INTL WE WERE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE APCH CTL FREQ TO ANOTHER, 126.0, WHICH WE HAD NEVER USED BEFORE. THIS CTLR TOLD US WE WERE TO STAY WITH HIM ALL THE WAY 'IN.' THEN HE BEGAN TO VECTOR US FOR SEVERAL TFC WATCH ACFT THAT WERE OVER DOWNTOWN PORTLAND AS WE WERE LINING UP FOR RWY 3. HE NEVER TOLD US TO CONTACT THE TWR ANYWHERE ALONG THE WAY, AS THERE ARE NO LANDMARKS, BEACONS, OR SUCH YOU USE FOR A KEY ON THIS VISUAL APCH. WE CONTINUED OUR APCH AND GOT INVOLVED IN THE CHKLIST AND SUCH AND AFTER WE TOUCHED DOWN AND TURNED OFF WE WENT TO CONTACT GND, BUT NOTICED THAT WE HAD NEVER TALKED TO TWR. THE KEY WORDS, 'CLRED TO LAND', NEITHER MY FO NOR I CAN REMEMBER HEARING. WE THEN CONTACTED GND CTL AND THEY JUST GAVE US TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO THE GATE, ETC. NORMALLY IF YOU DON'T CALL THE TWR YOU GET THIS VOICE THAT ASKS YOU THE QUESTION. 'DID YOU GUYS GET CLRNC TO LAND???' BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. WE TAXIED ON IN AND AS I THOUGHT ABOUT IT LATER I CALLED THE TWR SUPVR AND ASKED HER ABOUT THE SIT. SHE MENTIONED THAT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A MISSED HDOF DURING THAT TIME, AND THAT THE FREQ 126.0 WAS SOMETHING NEW THAT THEY WERE JUST TRYING THAT DAY TO HELP VISUAL TFC FOR RWY 3, WHILE RWY 28L IS CLOSED. BUT AFTER WE LANDED WE SAW AN MD11 LAND ON RWY 28L. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD JUST GOTTEN ATIS THAT IT WAS CLOSED. THE TWR SUPVR DID NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE TIME WE LANDED. NO BELLS OR WHISTLES HAD GONE OFF, SO MAYBE IT WAS JUST MISSED BY ALL. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, BUT I WANTED TO LET SOMEONE KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED WHILE USING THIS NEW FREQ ON A SELDOM USED RWY. I HAVE MADE HUNDREDS OF LNDGS AT PDX OVER THE LAST 9 YRS, BUT I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND THE NUMBER OF TIMES I HAVE USED RWY 3. THIS WAS A D8 SCHEDULED ARR FROM MEDFORD, OR.

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.