BUSY WITH A VISUAL APCH THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN INST APCH; ACR CREW LANDS WITHOUT CONTACTING TWR OR RECEIVING CLRNC.

Narrative

THE WX AT MSY WAS RPTED AS 2000 FT SCATTERED AND GOOD VISIBILITY AND REMAINED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. WE WERE APCHING FROM THE E AND HAD EXPECTED AND BRIEFED A VISUAL APCH TO THE S RWY BACKED UP WITH THE LOC. ATC VECTORS TOWARD THE NW PUT US OVER LAKE PONCHARTRAIN AND INTO A THIN BROKEN DECK OF CUMULUS CLOUDS. ATC INFORMED US VECTORS WOULD BE TO A 6 MI FINAL VISUAL APCH TO FOLLOW TFC TO THE SAME RWY. THE FO RESPONDED THAT THE FLT WAS IMC. I WAS GETTING BRIEF GLIMPSES OF THE FIELD BUT FELT A VISUAL WAS NOT YET POSSIBLE. WE WERE VECTORED TO A DOGLEG AT 1500 FT MSL AND THEN ONTO THE FINAL APCH COURSE INSIDE THE FAF. THE FO REQUESTED APCH CLRNC SO WE COULD DSND SINCE THE BROKEN BASES WERE APPROX 100 FT BELOW US. WE RECEIVED APCH CLRNC AND WERE TOLD TO CONTACT TWR. THE FO CHKED OUR DME (APPROX 4.0) AND THE PROC TO DETERMINE THAT WE COULD DSND TO 700 FT MSL. AT THE SAME TIME I CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT. I REQUESTED GEAR AND FLAPS AND BEGAN THE DSCNT TO THE FIELD. THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED AND THE FO MONITORED THE AIRSPD AND PROFILE. UPON ROLLOUT THE TWR ASKED IF WE WERE UP HIS FREQ; THE FO RESPONDED; AND THEN TWR SWITCHED US TO GND. UPON REFLECTION; ARMED WITH THE ATIS AND ATC'S ASSESSMENT OF THE TFC FLOW TO THE S RWY; WE AS A CREW FELT A VISUAL APCH WAS GOING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED. AN ASSESSMENT ON OUR PART OF THE WX OVER THE LAKE ON THE NW VECTOR SHOULD HAVE PROMPTED US TO REQUEST THE FULL APCH. THE TIME COMPRESSION ON FINAL WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED AND A TIMELY CALL TO TWR WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE.