Narrative:

I was on a cross country flight from laf to sbn, then to mie, and back to laf from there. As I neared south bend on the first leg of my trip, I called approach 20 mi out and was given a squawk code and told to fly a 360 degree heading. I did as I was told and when I was about 8 mi from the airport, approach called again. He said 'aircraft X, enter a right base for runway 9R, report the airport in sight, and remain on this frequency.' I replied 'enter a right base for runway 9R, I have the airport in sight, remain on this frequency, aircraft X.' being a low-time pilot with little experience in class C airspace, I don't yet have a good feel for when to just wait for him to call again or to call and ask for further instructions. So I decided to continue flying as I had been told, first flying the right base then turning to final at the appropriate time. Evidently, approach forgot about me, because he never called again to tell me to switch to tower. I made the assumption (which is a bad thing to do) that because he said to remain on his frequency and never said otherwise, that he wanted me to stay on approach the whole way in. So I did my touch-and-go without any other traffic in sight and remained on the runway heading during my climb out because I hadn't been told what to do after my touch and go. A few mins later, when I was about 10 mi from the airport, approach calls again and says 'aircraft did you ever switch to tower frequency?' as I replied 'no, I was instructed to remain on this frequency, aircraft X,' I realized my mistake. A moment later a person (I'm guessing a supervisor there) gets on the radio and thoroughly (and appropriately) chews me out: 'aircraft X, I understand that you were told to stay on this frequency, but you were 8 mi out at the time. We have a perfectly good control tower on the field, staffed by people who know what they are doing. You did a touch and go without clearance.' she continued on for a few more seconds on the topic of clearance, but I'm not going to try to write it out here because I can't remember exactly what she said and I already understood the extent of my mistake. I replied 'understood, I'm sorry, aircraft X,' and followed instructions telling me that I could make my turn onto course for muncie. South bend did not ask for my information or tell me to call the tower once I got back on the ground. I'm guessing that they realized from my tail number that I'm from a flight school (and thus it was a training situation) and that the person who chewed me out seemed to be satisfied that she got her point across in 45 seconds on the radio. The 2 major mistakes in this situation were my failure to contact tower and approach forgetting to tell me to. I should have known better, and from this experience I will not be hesitant to call approach for permission to call tower in the future, also, if for some reason I'm in the same situation again and approach doesn't call back clearing me to change to tower frequency, I will start a go around. It was an honest mistake and I've learned my lesson. I don't know the circumstances behind the apparent forgetfulness of approach. The airport seemed fairly quiet at the time (I think there were 1 or 2 regional jets and 4 or 5 GA planes operating IFR in the area) and the frequency was not congested. I don't have any suggestions for how to prevent this from happening again from the approach side. On the pilot side however, if I ever become a CFI (and I intend to eventually), I will stress to my students that they shouldn't be hesitant to call approach if in doubt about switching frequencys or their clearance to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 COMPLETES TOUCH AND GO AT MIE WITHOUT TWR CLRNC.

Narrative: I WAS ON A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM LAF TO SBN, THEN TO MIE, AND BACK TO LAF FROM THERE. AS I NEARED SOUTH BEND ON THE FIRST LEG OF MY TRIP, I CALLED APCH 20 MI OUT AND WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK CODE AND TOLD TO FLY A 360 DEG HDG. I DID AS I WAS TOLD AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT 8 MI FROM THE ARPT, APCH CALLED AGAIN. HE SAID 'ACFT X, ENTER A R BASE FOR RWY 9R, RPT THE ARPT IN SIGHT, AND REMAIN ON THIS FREQ.' I REPLIED 'ENTER A R BASE FOR RWY 9R, I HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT, REMAIN ON THIS FREQ, ACFT X.' BEING A LOW-TIME PLT WITH LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN CLASS C AIRSPACE, I DON'T YET HAVE A GOOD FEEL FOR WHEN TO JUST WAIT FOR HIM TO CALL AGAIN OR TO CALL AND ASK FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. SO I DECIDED TO CONTINUE FLYING AS I HAD BEEN TOLD, FIRST FLYING THE R BASE THEN TURNING TO FINAL AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME. EVIDENTLY, APCH FORGOT ABOUT ME, BECAUSE HE NEVER CALLED AGAIN TO TELL ME TO SWITCH TO TWR. I MADE THE ASSUMPTION (WHICH IS A BAD THING TO DO) THAT BECAUSE HE SAID TO REMAIN ON HIS FREQ AND NEVER SAID OTHERWISE, THAT HE WANTED ME TO STAY ON APCH THE WHOLE WAY IN. SO I DID MY TOUCH-AND-GO WITHOUT ANY OTHER TFC IN SIGHT AND REMAINED ON THE RWY HDG DURING MY CLBOUT BECAUSE I HADN'T BEEN TOLD WHAT TO DO AFTER MY TOUCH AND GO. A FEW MINS LATER, WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10 MI FROM THE ARPT, APCH CALLS AGAIN AND SAYS 'ACFT DID YOU EVER SWITCH TO TWR FREQ?' AS I REPLIED 'NO, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN ON THIS FREQ, ACFT X,' I REALIZED MY MISTAKE. A MOMENT LATER A PERSON (I'M GUESSING A SUPVR THERE) GETS ON THE RADIO AND THOROUGHLY (AND APPROPRIATELY) CHEWS ME OUT: 'ACFT X, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WERE TOLD TO STAY ON THIS FREQ, BUT YOU WERE 8 MI OUT AT THE TIME. WE HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD CTL TWR ON THE FIELD, STAFFED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. YOU DID A TOUCH AND GO WITHOUT CLRNC.' SHE CONTINUED ON FOR A FEW MORE SECONDS ON THE TOPIC OF CLRNC, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO WRITE IT OUT HERE BECAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID AND I ALREADY UNDERSTOOD THE EXTENT OF MY MISTAKE. I REPLIED 'UNDERSTOOD, I'M SORRY, ACFT X,' AND FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS TELLING ME THAT I COULD MAKE MY TURN ONTO COURSE FOR MUNCIE. SOUTH BEND DID NOT ASK FOR MY INFO OR TELL ME TO CALL THE TWR ONCE I GOT BACK ON THE GND. I'M GUESSING THAT THEY REALIZED FROM MY TAIL NUMBER THAT I'M FROM A FLT SCHOOL (AND THUS IT WAS A TRAINING SIT) AND THAT THE PERSON WHO CHEWED ME OUT SEEMED TO BE SATISFIED THAT SHE GOT HER POINT ACROSS IN 45 SECONDS ON THE RADIO. THE 2 MAJOR MISTAKES IN THIS SIT WERE MY FAILURE TO CONTACT TWR AND APCH FORGETTING TO TELL ME TO. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, AND FROM THIS EXPERIENCE I WILL NOT BE HESITANT TO CALL APCH FOR PERMISSION TO CALL TWR IN THE FUTURE, ALSO, IF FOR SOME REASON I'M IN THE SAME SIT AGAIN AND APCH DOESN'T CALL BACK CLRING ME TO CHANGE TO TWR FREQ, I WILL START A GAR. IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE AND I'VE LEARNED MY LESSON. I DON'T KNOW THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEHIND THE APPARENT FORGETFULNESS OF APCH. THE ARPT SEEMED FAIRLY QUIET AT THE TIME (I THINK THERE WERE 1 OR 2 REGIONAL JETS AND 4 OR 5 GA PLANES OPERATING IFR IN THE AREA) AND THE FREQ WAS NOT CONGESTED. I DON'T HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN FROM THE APCH SIDE. ON THE PLT SIDE HOWEVER, IF I EVER BECOME A CFI (AND I INTEND TO EVENTUALLY), I WILL STRESS TO MY STUDENTS THAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE HESITANT TO CALL APCH IF IN DOUBT ABOUT SWITCHING FREQS OR THEIR CLRNC TO LAND.

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.