MD88 CREW LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC IN ATL.

Narrative

I WAS CAPT ON FLT INTO ATL. WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26R. AFTER PASSING THE OM AND PERFORMING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST; I NOTICED A SMALL ACFT ON THE RWY (DUSK) AS WE APCHED ABOUT 800-1000 FT AGL. BY THE TIME WE WERE AT 400-500 FT AGL THE ACFT WAS CLR OF RWY 26R. AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THE RADIO CHATTER DID NOT SOUND RIGHT. I ASKED IF WE HAD LNDG CLRNC AND WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE STILL ON APCH CTL. WE SWITCHED TO TWR AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL AND THE ATL TWR CTLR WAS SPEAKING QUICKLY ISSUING CLRNCS FOR RWY OPS ON RWY 26L. BECAUSE OF THE HVY RADIO TFC WE WERE NOT ABLE TO ASK IF WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. I SURVEYED THE RWY AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS CLR AND ELECTED TO LAND. AS WE CLRED THE RWY THE TWR CTLR ISSUED US THE NORMAL CLRNC TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 26L; WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND COMPLIED. THE CTLR SAID NOTHING OF US NOT ACKNOWLEDGING LNDG CLRNC. LESSONS LEARNED: THE FO DID NOT STATE '1000 FT CLRED TO LAND' OR 'NEGATIVE CLRNC' AS PER OUR ACR'S OPS SPECS. HE MADE A MENTAL NOTE OF NO CLRNC. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF HE HAD NOTED OUT LOUD; 'NEGATIVE CLRNC.' A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR I BELIEVE IS THAT APCH SOMETIMES INSTRUCTS US TO CONTACT TWR AT THE OM; SOMETIMES THE HDOF TO TWR OCCURS MUCH FURTHER OUT ON FINAL. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IN THIS CASE HAD WE BEEN SWITCHED TO TWR OUTSIDE OF THE OM. WHEN LEFT TO SWITCH AT THE MARKER THERE IS A GREATER LIKELIHOOD AS HAPPENED TO US TO BE DISTR BY CONFIGURING; CHKLISTS; AND UNEXPECTED ACFT ON THE RWY; ETC. I THINK ANOTHER FACTOR IN THIS OVERSIGHT TO SWITCH TO TWR SOONER IS THE ROUTINE OF AIRLINE OPS CAN LULL ONE INTO COMPLACENCY. OR IF NOT COMPLACENCY AT LEAST A LACK OF VIGILANCE; WHICH WE NORMALLY EXHIBIT.