A DHC8 flight crew lands at sea without landing clearance.

Attributes
ACN	522820
Time
Date	200108
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : sea.airport
State Reference	WA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Dash 8 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Phase	landing : roll
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 6200 flight time type : 2000
ASRS Report	522820
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Inbound to runway 16R at seattle. We were on with approach, and cleared for the visual behind another aircraft. Approach was busy and working other aircraft. We landed on runway 16R without switching over to tower and getting cleared. We held inbtwn runways 16R and 16L until getting cleared to cross. I called the tower frequency to tell him that we were trying to contact him after we touched down and realized we had not been on tower frequency. The tower controller said we followed his light gun signals and we then proceeded to the gate and parking. There was no conflict with any other aircraft. I believe this could have been avoided by us realizing that approach did not tell us to switch to tower and by being a little more aware of our situation and not focusing on other factors such as traffic ahead of us or behind us.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DHC8 FLT CREW LANDS AT SEA WITHOUT LNDG CLRNC.

Narrative: INBOUND TO RWY 16R AT SEATTLE. WE WERE ON WITH APCH, AND CLRED FOR THE VISUAL BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT. APCH WAS BUSY AND WORKING OTHER ACFT. WE LANDED ON RWY 16R WITHOUT SWITCHING OVER TO TWR AND GETTING CLRED. WE HELD INBTWN RWYS 16R AND 16L UNTIL GETTING CLRED TO CROSS. I CALLED THE TWR FREQ TO TELL HIM THAT WE WERE TRYING TO CONTACT HIM AFTER WE TOUCHED DOWN AND REALIZED WE HAD NOT BEEN ON TWR FREQ. THE TWR CTLR SAID WE FOLLOWED HIS LIGHT GUN SIGNALS AND WE THEN PROCEEDED TO THE GATE AND PARKING. THERE WAS NO CONFLICT WITH ANY OTHER ACFT. I BELIEVE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY US REALIZING THAT APCH DID NOT TELL US TO SWITCH TO TWR AND BY BEING A LITTLE MORE AWARE OF OUR SIT AND NOT FOCUSING ON OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS TFC AHEAD OF US OR BEHIND US.

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.