AN EMB145 LANDS AT CLE; OH; WITHOUT CLRNC TO LAND. FLC COULDN'T REMEMBER IF THEY HAD RECEIVED CLRNC OR NOT.

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WE WERE WITH APCH CTL AND WERE CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 23L APCH INTO CLEVELAND HOPKINS INTL ARPT AT APPROX XX30. WHEN WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH WE WERE ASKED TO CONTACT THE TWR AT FOORD INTXN LISTED AS 6.4 DME OFF THE RWY 23L LOC. AT THAT TIME WE WERE APPROX 8 MI OUT. MY ESTIMATE IS THAT PASSING THROUGH 6.4 DME THE CAPT AND I WERE FINISHING UP OUR LNDG CHKLIST AND NEITHER OF US REALIZED THAT WE HAD NOT CONTACTED THE CTL TWR FOR CLRNC TO LAND. I USUALLY RUN THROUGH AN EXTRA CHKLIST IN MY HEAD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT CLRNC TO LAND BUT I DID NOT MENTION IT WHEN EXECUTING THE LNDG CHKLIST. FOR SOME REASON; WE PROCEEDED WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT WE WERE IN FACT CLRED TO LAND. THE SUBJECT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE GOT A CLRNC NEVER CAME UP. AS A RESULT; WE LANDED THE ACFT NOT KNOWING WHETHER WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. AFTER LNDG THE TWR CONTACTED US AND TOLD US TO CONTACT GND CTL. AFTER CALLING GND; THEY CLRED US TO OUR GATE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS PROBABLY HAPPENED BEFORE. I KNOW THAT THIS PROB CAN BE PREVENTED. THE PROBS I THOUGHT WERE LACK OF COM; CHKLIST ITEMS; AIR TFC CTLR CONVENIENCE; AND FATIGUE. MY SOLUTIONS ARE THAT THE STATEMENT OF 'ARE WE CLRED TO LAND?' SHOULD BE SAID EVERY TIME WITHIN 5 MI OF AN ARPT WITH AN OPERATING CTL TWR. SECONDLY 'LNDG CLRNC' COULD BE LISTED ON A CHKLIST. THIRDLY; I FEEL THAT THE AIR TFC CTLR SHOULD NOT ASK PLTS TO CONTACT THE TWR AT A CERTAIN POINT. I AM ALMOST POSITIVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN CASES EVERYDAY WHERE A CTLR ASKS PLTS TO CONTACT THE TWR AT THE OM; COMPASS LOCATOR; OR A FIXED DISTANCE AND SOME PLTS MISS THE FIX AND CONTACT THE TWR BEYOND THAT FIX. THE EASIEST WAY TO AVOID THIS SIT IS TO HAVE THE CTLR SAY; 'CONTACT THE TWR NOW ON FREQ XXXX.' ON THAT MORNING; APCH CTL WAS NOT VERY BUSY. HAD THE CTLR SPOKEN TO ANOTHER ACFT GIVING IT VECTORS FOR AN APCH; THAT WOULD HAVE GIVEN US A CLUE THAT WE HAD NOT YET CONTACTED THE TWR AND MUST CHANGE FREQS. UNFORTUNATELY; ONCE WE WERE CLRED; THE FREQ WAS QUIET. I HAVE HAD SOME CTLRS NOTIFY US TO CONTACT THE TWR NOW AND SOME GIVE A FIXED POINT TO CONTACT THE TWR. I FEEL THAT THE CTLRS USE THE FIXED DISTANCE POINT TO ALLEVIATE THE WORKLOAD SO THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR EVERY ACFT AND SAY; 'CONTACT THE TWR NOW.' I THINK THE USE OF HAVING PLTS CONTACT THE TWR AT A FIXED POINT SHOULD BE USED ONLY WHEN THE CTLR IS HEAVILY LOADED. FINALLY; THE CREW AND I WERE ON REDUCED REST OF 8 HRS. WE DID GET IN LATE THE PREVIOUS EVENING. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE HOTEL AND FELL ASLEEP I WOULD HAVE ONLY GOTTEN A LITTLE LESS THAN 7 HRS. I THINK FATIGUE PLAYED A ROLE IN MAKING ERRORS THAT DAY. I WILL FROM NOW ON ADD THE 'WE ARE CLRED TO LAND; OR WE ARE NOT CLRED TO LAND' STATEMENT ON EVERY LNDG CHKLIST SO THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I HOPE THAT WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN WILL BRING THIS SUBJECT TO EVERYONE'S ATTN AND HELP IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF AVIATION. THANK YOU.