Narrative:

I was performing a night, x-country training flight with a student sitting in the left seat who had about 40 hours of total training time logged in. We had landed at portland-troutdale (oregon) airport slightly too late to purchase fuel for the return trip to bremerton national (washington) so we had decided to go to portland international for fuel. While on downwind for 10L I asked the controller to call my base and he advised me to turn base at that time 'or at my discretion.' I turned left base for 10L and soon began to encounter significant levels of windshear. The actual manipulation of the flight controls, until this point, had virtually all been done by the student, who had been performing quite well. In spite of this fact, I found it necessary to take over the controls of the aircraft (an small aircraft) in order to gain relative assurance of the plane making a safe landing in such a level of air disturbance. I had to concentrate on flying the aircraft to a much higher degree of exclusivity than normal. I perceived our aircraft to be cleared to land, and so I proceeded to land. I can accurately state that the only safe course of action, all things considered, would have been to land the plane rather than to risk the results of continued exposure to the windshear. Further, I can state that I certainly didn't have time to divert my attention to the task of discussing things with ATC, especially since the frequency was moderately congested. I was still in the process of getting off the runway when a controller asked me to advise her when I was prepared to copy the tower phone number. I asked for verification of whether or not I had been cleared to land, as I, understandably at that point, suspected that ATC believed I had done something wrong. I was simply advised to call the tower. When I walked into the gas dealer, a person who identified himself as the FAA supervisor on duty had called wanting to talk to me. I answered his questions in a cooperative fashion. Within myself, I was extremely distraught as I am attempting to proceed on the traditional career track in aviation from flight instructor upwards and I felt as though my entire future had just disintegrated. I became a flight instructor on 10/xx/89. I have been a pilot since 1972 and have never had a citation. I would certainly never intentionally land an airplane without a clearance. I thought I had been cleared, but I was distracted by the demands of dealing with the windshear. Frankly, I would like to hear the tape of the radio xmissions in order to sort out my impressions of what transpired. The controllers seem to feel that I had been told to fly downwind and they claim that I said 'roger.' I remember no such directive nor my making an acknowledgement. The events were hazy in the student's mind also, he told me. I wonder if he made the roger. Can you people supply me with a cassette tape of all the radio work involved? Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: discussed tape issue with reporter and suggested that he contact ATC facility to listen to tape. He advised after further investigation, that he had been issued a landing clearance, and therefore did not violate any FARS. He said that the controller had intended for him to go around while on final approach, but confusing and nonstandard phraseology had been used. The reporter did not hear the go around instructions due to cockpit workload at that moment. The controller had forgot that a landing clearance had been previously given.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA LANDED WITHOUT ATC CLRNC OR POSSIBLY MISCOMMUNICATIONS OCCURRED BETWEEN REPORTER AND TWR.

Narrative: I WAS PERFORMING A NIGHT, X-COUNTRY TRAINING FLT WITH A STUDENT SITTING IN THE LEFT SEAT WHO HAD ABOUT 40 HRS OF TOTAL TRAINING TIME LOGGED IN. WE HAD LANDED AT PORTLAND-TROUTDALE (OREGON) ARPT SLIGHTLY TOO LATE TO PURCHASE FUEL FOR THE RETURN TRIP TO BREMERTON NATIONAL (WASHINGTON) SO WE HAD DECIDED TO GO TO PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FOR FUEL. WHILE ON DOWNWIND FOR 10L I ASKED THE CTLR TO CALL MY BASE AND HE ADVISED ME TO TURN BASE AT THAT TIME 'OR AT MY DISCRETION.' I TURNED LEFT BASE FOR 10L AND SOON BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF WINDSHEAR. THE ACTUAL MANIPULATION OF THE FLT CONTROLS, UNTIL THIS POINT, HAD VIRTUALLY ALL BEEN DONE BY THE STUDENT, WHO HAD BEEN PERFORMING QUITE WELL. IN SPITE OF THIS FACT, I FOUND IT NECESSARY TO TAKE OVER THE CONTROLS OF THE ACFT (AN SMA) IN ORDER TO GAIN RELATIVE ASSURANCE OF THE PLANE MAKING A SAFE LNDG IN SUCH A LEVEL OF AIR DISTURBANCE. I HAD TO CONCENTRATE ON FLYING THE ACFT TO A MUCH HIGHER DEG OF EXCLUSIVITY THAN NORMAL. I PERCEIVED OUR ACFT TO BE CLRED TO LAND, AND SO I PROCEEDED TO LAND. I CAN ACCURATELY STATE THAT THE ONLY SAFE COURSE OF ACTION, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, WOULD HAVE BEEN TO LAND THE PLANE RATHER THAN TO RISK THE RESULTS OF CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO THE WINDSHEAR. FURTHER, I CAN STATE THAT I CERTAINLY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DIVERT MY ATTN TO THE TASK OF DISCUSSING THINGS WITH ATC, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE FREQ WAS MODERATELY CONGESTED. I WAS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING OFF THE RWY WHEN A CTLR ASKED ME TO ADVISE HER WHEN I WAS PREPARED TO COPY THE TWR PHONE NUMBER. I ASKED FOR VERIFICATION OF WHETHER OR NOT I HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND, AS I, UNDERSTANDABLY AT THAT POINT, SUSPECTED THAT ATC BELIEVED I HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG. I WAS SIMPLY ADVISED TO CALL THE TWR. WHEN I WALKED INTO THE GAS DEALER, A PERSON WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS THE FAA SUPVR ON DUTY HAD CALLED WANTING TO TALK TO ME. I ANSWERED HIS QUESTIONS IN A COOPERATIVE FASHION. WITHIN MYSELF, I WAS EXTREMELY DISTRAUGHT AS I AM ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED ON THE TRADITIONAL CAREER TRACK IN AVIATION FROM FLT INSTRUCTOR UPWARDS AND I FELT AS THOUGH MY ENTIRE FUTURE HAD JUST DISINTEGRATED. I BECAME A FLT INSTRUCTOR ON 10/XX/89. I HAVE BEEN A PLT SINCE 1972 AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CITATION. I WOULD CERTAINLY NEVER INTENTIONALLY LAND AN AIRPLANE WITHOUT A CLRNC. I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN CLRED, BUT I WAS DISTRACTED BY THE DEMANDS OF DEALING WITH THE WINDSHEAR. FRANKLY, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE TAPE OF THE RADIO XMISSIONS IN ORDER TO SORT OUT MY IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT TRANSPIRED. THE CTLRS SEEM TO FEEL THAT I HAD BEEN TOLD TO FLY DOWNWIND AND THEY CLAIM THAT I SAID 'ROGER.' I REMEMBER NO SUCH DIRECTIVE NOR MY MAKING AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. THE EVENTS WERE HAZY IN THE STUDENT'S MIND ALSO, HE TOLD ME. I WONDER IF HE MADE THE ROGER. CAN YOU PEOPLE SUPPLY ME WITH A CASSETTE TAPE OF ALL THE RADIO WORK INVOLVED? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: DISCUSSED TAPE ISSUE WITH REPORTER AND SUGGESTED THAT HE CONTACT ATC FAC TO LISTEN TO TAPE. HE ADVISED AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THAT HE HAD BEEN ISSUED A LNDG CLRNC, AND THEREFORE DID NOT VIOLATE ANY FARS. HE SAID THAT THE CTLR HAD INTENDED FOR HIM TO GO AROUND WHILE ON FINAL APCH, BUT CONFUSING AND NONSTANDARD PHRASEOLOGY HAD BEEN USED. THE REPORTER DID NOT HEAR THE GO AROUND INSTRUCTIONS DUE TO COCKPIT WORKLOAD AT THAT MOMENT. THE CTLR HAD FORGOT THAT A LNDG CLRNC HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY GIVEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.