I was flying a Cessna 172 on a beautiful day when I got cleared for the visual approach from 15-20 miles out. I got so focused flying an ILS approach for practice that I
- didn’t remind approach to hand me off to tower
- didn’t talk to the tower at all
- landed at a class c airport without authorization
- radioed approach from the taxiway that I was holding and then realized how many things I fucked up.
It’s so easy to forget stuff and get tunnel vision and “remind ATC” isn’t on the checklist.
I switched to tower and told them I was holding and they said, in an annoyed voice, to taxi to parking.
I was with my CFI so we called the tower from the classroom and filed a NASA report.
Lucky for me this was in Asheville (KAVL) and they train controllers there too and it's all, basically, in one room so everyone knew we were coming in and there was only one other A/C sitting at the departure end holding short waiting on us. Super lucky. It sucks when you are so used to being told everything to do and having to argue with ATC about bogus turn instructions at 300' AGL that then when they forget it's still your fault.
We went back and listened to the ATC recordings and the regional carrier that landed before we took off asked the tower if they were cleared to land so I think we weren't the only pilots missing some calls.
My short final check is mixture, prop, gear down and locked, cleared to land. I have kind of a rhyme about it that helps. I will sometimes ask even if they cleared to land a while ago in case they forgot and put someone in front of you which has happened.
“Let”... he was just as distracted as I was. Not a single plane in the sky and smooth afternoon air for a change. Tuning in the ILS for me and being my eyes out the window safety pilot. Complacency got us.
On the flip side the chief was a hardass and would make me call the tower and get clearance to land before beginning my descent while running the pattern. Other schools / instructors always made a call on short final to remind the tower we were still out there but the chief would fly a 10 mile downwind before he would descend and turn base without clearance. Now I think he really did know something
- didn’t remind approach to hand me off to tower
- didn’t talk to the tower at all
- landed at a class c airport without authorization
- radioed approach from the taxiway that I was holding and then realized how many things I fucked up.
It’s so easy to forget stuff and get tunnel vision and “remind ATC” isn’t on the checklist.