1995-11 · NASA ASRS report 323034
FLC OF A LGT FREIGHTER ACFT INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE TWR AT THE OM. DISTR BY OTHER DUTIES LED TO LNDG WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR.
WHILE APCHING IND FOR LNDG; ATC HELD US AT A HIGHER THAN USUAL ALT. APCH CTL SET US UP ON A 4 MI BASE LEG TO AN 11 MI FINAL. APCH TOLD US TO DSND TO 3100 FT; AND CLRED US FOR THE ILS TO RWY 5R. FINALLY; THEY TOLD US TO CONTACT TWR AT THE OM. I WAS THE PF. BECAUSE OF OUR HIGHER THAN USUAL ALT; I WAS CONCENTRATING ON THE DSCNT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A STABILIZED APCH. THE CAPT WAS HANDLING THE RADIO. AFTER THE LNDG; WE CLRED THE RWY; I WENT TO CHANGE RADIO FREQS AND NOTICED WE WERE STILL ON APCH CTL FREQ. APCH CTL CLRED US FOR THE APCH AND TOLD US TO CONTACT THE TWR AT THE MARKER. DURING THE SEVERAL MINS WHICH ELAPSED BTWN THE CLRNC AND THE PASSING OF THE MARKER; WE WERE BUSY WITH CHKLISTS. APPARENTLY THE PASSING OF THE MARKER WENT UNNOTICED. ALSO; DURING THE LNDG CHKLIST; THE CAPT RESPONDED TO THE CHALLENGE 'LNDG CLRNC' AS 'CLRED TO LAND.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 322220: THE CTLR CLRED US TO 'MAINTAIN 3100 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC; CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 5R; CONTACT TWR AT BRINN (OM).' BECAUSE THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT; I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC AND DIALED IN THE TWR FREQ (DUAL HEAD RADIO) IN ANTICIPATION OF SWITCHING AT BRINN. BRINN CAME AND WENT BUT THE SWITCH TO TWR DIDN'T HAPPEN. SEVERAL THINGS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS LAPSE OF ATTN BUT IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS; THIS WAS PRIMARILY A FAILURE ON MY PART TO KEEP TRACK. HOWEVER; FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH: CONDITIONS WERE CAVU (WE HAD HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT FOR SOME TIME) AND THERE WAS ALMOST NO OTHER TFC AROUND. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR AN ILS WE WERE FLYING A VISUAL APCH ON THE ILS. BECAUSE WE WERE VISUAL THE FO WAS FLYING A LITTLE FASTER THAN WE ORDINARILY WOULD HAVE BEEN AND I WAS DISTRACTED BY THIS. WORKING PRIMARILY AT NIGHT IT IS COMMON TO GET THE LNDG CLRNC FROM APCH CTL AND OFTEN AT THE SAME TIME AS THE APCH CLRNC. THE COMBINATION OF THIS AND PHYSICALLY DIALING IN THE TWR FREQ MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ME SUBCONSCIOUSLY BELIEVING THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND (BY APCH CTL). THE SO IS NEW (3 MONTHS ON THE LINE) AND STILL FINDING HIS WAY AROUND HIS RESPONSIBILITIES; ESPECIALLY AS THEY PERTAIN TO BACKING UP THE 'FRONT END.' IN RETROSPECT; I BELIEVE THAT ALL 3 OF US WERE LULLED INTO A TOO RELAXED ATTITUDE BY THE OVERALL FLT CONDITIONS WHICH CAUSED US TO LOSE TRACK OF OUR REQUIREMENT TO CONTACT THE TWR AT THE OM. COMPLACENCY REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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