CLRNC LNDG NOT RECEIVED BY ATX FLC AFTER AN ALL NIGHT OP. SPLIT POS OP CITED ALONG WITH CLRNC EXPECTED AND APCH CTLR TECHNIQUE ATC COM.

Date: 1996-12 · Aircraft: SA-227 AC Metro III

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-landing-without-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

CLRNC LNDG NOT RECEIVED BY ATX FLC AFTER AN ALL NIGHT OP. SPLIT POS OP CITED ALONG WITH CLRNC EXPECTED AND APCH CTLR TECHNIQUE ATC COM.

Narrative

MY CAPT AND I WERE APCHING LBB IN OUR METRO III AND WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26 AS USUAL. APCH NEVER HANDED US OFF AND WE LANDED WITHOUT BEING CLRED TO LAND. THIS WAS OUR FOURTH LEG THAT NIGHT. IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE FOR LBB APCH TO ISSUE THIS CLRNC; 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL RWY 26; CLRED TO LAND;' WHEN WE ARE STILL 30 OR SO MI OUT. AFTER SUCH A CLRNC; WE DO NOT RECEIVE A FREQ CHANGE TO TWR. ON THAT FOURTH LEG; WE WERE SO ACCUSTOMED TO BEING CLRED TO LAND 30 MI OUT; THAT WHEN WE WERE NEVER HANDED OFF; WE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT AND IT DIDN'T EVEN OCCUR TO US THAT WE WERE NEVER CLRED TO LAND. THE ACTUAL CLRNC THAT TIME WAS 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26.' WE FOUND OUT THAT WE WERE NEVER GIVEN A LNDG CLRNC UNTIL AFTER WE LANDED; AND SAW THAT WE WERE STILL ON APCH FREQ. ONE CORRECTIVE ACTION WOULD BE FOR OUR COMPANY TO IMPLEMENT A FINAL CHK CONTAINING THESE ITEMS: 1) 3 GREEN; 2) FULL FLAPS; 3) CLRED TO LAND; 4) RWY CLR. ANOTHER CORRECTIVE ACTION WOULD BE FOR LBB TO STOP GIVING LNDG CLRNCS THAT FAR OUT; NO MATTER HOW QUIET IT IS; AND TO GIVE A FREQ CHANGE TO TWR FOR EVERY ACFT -- EVEN IF IT IS THE SAME CTLR WORKING LCL APCH AND DEP CTL. I FEEL THESE MEASURES WILL ELIMINATE A LOT OF COMPLACENCY FOR AIRCREWS AND CTLRS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.