Narrative:

After landing and turning off runway 18R in cvg, the frequency I called tower on turned out to be still approach. This is when we realized we had never switched to tower. I don't think approach ever told us to switch to tower and I thought we were cleared to land just because of habit. The captain even asked on short final, are we cleared to land and I said yes. The capts always rhetorically ask that question and I said yes out of habit. There is always such a stream of information when the controller clears you for your final turn, plus a descent, then to maintain that altitude until established, and then cleared for the approach and, then last but not least, contact the tower on 118.3. During this busy time in an approach, it is often hard to hear and repeat and do all that is said. In today's crowded skies, the controllers often speak at light speed. Nonetheless, I should have been sure we were cleared to land. After landing and parking at the gate, the captain called the tower and they said it was no problem because they even thought they had cleared us to land. They said we turned off at the right place and immediately called them so not to worry. It was my mistake, but the system leads us to make the communication errors because of the time compression of the controller's xmissions and the timing of when they occur.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR CREW LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC AFTER NO HDOF OR FREQ CHANGE. TWR WAS NOT AWARE NO CLRNC WAS ISSUED WHEN INITIAL CALL WAS MADE AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG AND TURNING OFF RWY 18R IN CVG, THE FREQ I CALLED TWR ON TURNED OUT TO BE STILL APCH. THIS IS WHEN WE REALIZED WE HAD NEVER SWITCHED TO TWR. I DON'T THINK APCH EVER TOLD US TO SWITCH TO TWR AND I THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND JUST BECAUSE OF HABIT. THE CAPT EVEN ASKED ON SHORT FINAL, ARE WE CLRED TO LAND AND I SAID YES. THE CAPTS ALWAYS RHETORICALLY ASK THAT QUESTION AND I SAID YES OUT OF HABIT. THERE IS ALWAYS SUCH A STREAM OF INFO WHEN THE CTLR CLRS YOU FOR YOUR FINAL TURN, PLUS A DSCNT, THEN TO MAINTAIN THAT ALT UNTIL ESTABLISHED, AND THEN CLRED FOR THE APCH AND, THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CONTACT THE TWR ON 118.3. DURING THIS BUSY TIME IN AN APCH, IT IS OFTEN HARD TO HEAR AND REPEAT AND DO ALL THAT IS SAID. IN TODAY'S CROWDED SKIES, THE CTLRS OFTEN SPEAK AT LIGHT SPD. NONETHELESS, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SURE WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. AFTER LNDG AND PARKING AT THE GATE, THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR AND THEY SAID IT WAS NO PROB BECAUSE THEY EVEN THOUGHT THEY HAD CLRED US TO LAND. THEY SAID WE TURNED OFF AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED THEM SO NOT TO WORRY. IT WAS MY MISTAKE, BUT THE SYS LEADS US TO MAKE THE COM ERRORS BECAUSE OF THE TIME COMPRESSION OF THE CTLR'S XMISSIONS AND THE TIMING OF WHEN THEY OCCUR.

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.