Large transport crew may have landed without getting tower clearance.

Attributes
ACN	409414
Time
Date	199807
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : abe
State Reference	PA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : abe tower : anc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Route In Use	arrival other enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 19000 flight time type : 1500
ASRS Report	409414
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 16000 flight time type : 220
ASRS Report	409320
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : overcame equipment problem none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Air carrier flight XXX pit-abe, on base turning final to runway 24 visual approach, component failure accompanied with loss of autothrottles plus numerous warning flags and aural warnings, distraction crew on the final approach. The flight may have landed without tower clearance. The flight was cleared for the visual approach, not sure if handed off to tower. Upon landing, called tower by phone. They said no problem at all, no traffic. The autothrottle system failure occurred at a critical time on the approach interrupting the crew's normal procedures. This distraction prevented the flight crew from doublechking with the tower and handoff. There was no traffic conflict and safety was not compromised. Controller interaction with other controllers could possibly prevent this occurrence in the future by xchking (approach controller and also tower controller) with each other to verify if a handoff has been accomplished or not, and contingency plans for when the handoff has failed.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LGT CREW MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT GETTING TWR CLRNC.

Narrative: ACR FLT XXX PIT-ABE, ON BASE TURNING FINAL TO RWY 24 VISUAL APCH, COMPONENT FAILURE ACCOMPANIED WITH LOSS OF AUTOTHROTTLES PLUS NUMEROUS WARNING FLAGS AND AURAL WARNINGS, DISTR CREW ON THE FINAL APCH. THE FLT MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT TWR CLRNC. THE FLT WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH, NOT SURE IF HANDED OFF TO TWR. UPON LNDG, CALLED TWR BY PHONE. THEY SAID NO PROB AT ALL, NO TFC. THE AUTOTHROTTLE SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED AT A CRITICAL TIME ON THE APCH INTERRUPTING THE CREW'S NORMAL PROCS. THIS DISTR PREVENTED THE FLC FROM DOUBLECHKING WITH THE TWR AND HDOF. THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT AND SAFETY WAS NOT COMPROMISED. CTLR INTERACTION WITH OTHER CTLRS COULD POSSIBLY PREVENT THIS OCCURRENCE IN THE FUTURE BY XCHKING (APCH CTLR AND ALSO TWR CTLR) WITH EACH OTHER TO VERIFY IF A HDOF HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED OR NOT, AND CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR WHEN THE HDOF HAS FAILED.

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.