2001-10 · NASA ASRS report 528178
GA LANDS DFW WITHOUT CLRNC AND CHANGE TO TWR BY D10.
AS WE APCHED THE TERMINAL AREA AT DFW; WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY DFW APCH CTL TO EXPECT RWY 18R -- THE ILS; EVEN THOUGH DAY; VMC PREVAILED. THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON AS I HAVE BEEN INTO THIS ARPT NUMEROUS TIMES. DFW APCH CTL CLRED US TO DSND TO 3000 FT MSL AND REDUCE OUR SPD TO MAINTAIN 190 KIAS. WE WERE ALSO ASSIGNED A HDG OF 130 DEGS. THEN WE WERE CLRED TO 2000 FT MSL; ASSIGNED A HDG OF 150 DEGS AND MAINTAIN 190 KIAS. A TA WAS ISSUED: 'THERE IS AN MD80 LNDG ON ONE OF THE S RWYS (RWY 17R OR RWY 17C) LOCATED ON THE E SIDE ON THE ARPT PROPERTY OF DFW.' WE ACKNOWLEDGED WE DID HAVE THE MD80 IN SIGHT. APCH CTL TOLD US TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THE MD80. NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS WERE ISSUED. OUR ANTICIPATION AS A CREW WAS TO HEAR 'MAINTAIN VISUAL WITH THE ACFT INTERCEPT THE LOC AND CLRED FOR THE VISUAL.' WE DID NOT GET THIS. BY NOW; WE PASSED WELL THROUGH THE RWY 18R LOC COURSE ON THE LAST ASSIGNED HDG OF 150 DEGS. MY CREW MEMBER QUESTIONED APCH IF WE COULD REJOIN RWY 18R LOC. APCH REPLIED; 'AFFIRMATIVE; CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH RWY 18R.' WE NEVER; I DON'T BELIEVE; ADVISED HIM THAT WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT TO BOTH OF US. APCH CTL NEVER ISSUED ANY FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. WE DID NOT RECEIVE THE CLRNC TO SWITCH TO THE TWR FREQ. AND; WE NEVER DID. WE CONTINUED FOR RWY 18R AND LANDED WITHOUT A LNDG CLRNC. THIS WAS NOT OUR INTENT. WE THEN RADIOED TWR; WHO SWITCHED US TO GND CTL. WE TAXIED TO PARKING. I FELT I SHOULD CALL THE TWR SUPVR. I EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE TALKED WITH THE CTLR WORKING RWY 18R AND THE END RESULT WAS THAT NEITHER ONE HAD A PROB WITH IT; AS THERE WAS NO CONFLICTING TFC. AIR TFC VOLUME WAS EXTREMELY LIGHT THAT MORNING. I AM GRATEFUL THE SUPVR DID NOT ACT UNPROFESSIONALLY OR OVER AGGRESSIVELY. I ASSURED HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. WHAT 'MIGHT' HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EVENT WAS A LACK OF ASSERTIVENESS ON APCH CTL'S PART AND MAYBE TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE IN APCH CTL ON THE CREW'S PART.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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