Land without clearance. Reporter told to keep speed up on approach and cleared for the approach. Flight crew believed they had been cleared to land, but never went to tower frequency. The flight crew was using nonstandard checklist, and instead of using the mechanical checklist last 2 items for approach clearance and landing clearance, they were using autothrottles and autoplt.

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Attributes
ACN	342009
Time
Date	199607
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dfw
State Reference	TX
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	MD-80 Super 80
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
ASRS Report	342009
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	342010
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far 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:

Location: dfw. Arrived at dfw on approach control frequency and apparently had not been given clearance to land as we were not on tower frequency. I remember being given clearance for the approach to runway 18 but not landing clearance. This probably occurred because we were not given the frequency change to tower or, if we were, the 3 of us in the cockpit missed it. We had a jump seater monitoring the radio. The controller was rushing to get aircraft to dfw because a storm had just passed and there had been holding delays and some diversions. I think we missed noticing that we were still on approach because we were told to maintain maximum forward speed at least 180 KTS and we still had altitude to lose. Clearance for the approach occurred only a few mi out and was mistaken for landing clearance. I had recently flown with a captain that used the bottom 2 on the mechanic checklist for autoplt and autothrottle and was still using them for those items. I recommend labeling these switches -- approach clearance and landing clearance.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LAND WITHOUT CLRNC. RPTR TOLD TO KEEP SPD UP ON APCH AND CLRED FOR THE APCH. FLC BELIEVED THEY HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND, BUT NEVER WENT TO TWR FREQ. THE FLC WAS USING NONSTANDARD CHKLIST, AND INSTEAD OF USING THE MECHANICAL CHKLIST LAST 2 ITEMS FOR APCH CLRNC AND LNDG CLRNC, THEY WERE USING AUTOTHROTTLES AND AUTOPLT.

Narrative: LOCATION: DFW. ARRIVED AT DFW ON APCH CTL FREQ AND APPARENTLY HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN CLRNC TO LAND AS WE WERE NOT ON TWR FREQ. I REMEMBER BEING GIVEN CLRNC FOR THE APCH TO RWY 18 BUT NOT LNDG CLRNC. THIS PROBABLY OCCURRED BECAUSE WE WERE NOT GIVEN THE FREQ CHANGE TO TWR OR, IF WE WERE, THE 3 OF US IN THE COCKPIT MISSED IT. WE HAD A JUMP SEATER MONITORING THE RADIO. THE CTLR WAS RUSHING TO GET ACFT TO DFW BECAUSE A STORM HAD JUST PASSED AND THERE HAD BEEN HOLDING DELAYS AND SOME DIVERSIONS. I THINK WE MISSED NOTICING THAT WE WERE STILL ON APCH BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD TO MAINTAIN MAX FORWARD SPD AT LEAST 180 KTS AND WE STILL HAD ALT TO LOSE. CLRNC FOR THE APCH OCCURRED ONLY A FEW MI OUT AND WAS MISTAKEN FOR LNDG CLRNC. I HAD RECENTLY FLOWN WITH A CAPT THAT USED THE BOTTOM 2 ON THE MECH CHKLIST FOR AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE AND WAS STILL USING THEM FOR THOSE ITEMS. I RECOMMEND LABELING THESE SWITCHES -- APCH CLRNC AND LNDG CLRNC.

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.