Light transport flight crew lands without clearance as they are unaware of tower activation.

Attributes
ACN	258262
Time
Date	199312
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : 79j
State Reference	AL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	other
Make Model Name	Light Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 1200
ASRS Report	258262
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	incursion : landing without clearance non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

79J now has an operating control tower. It was not noted on my commercial charts and I did not notice it as a NOTAM. I landed without contacting the tower. Very embarrassing and could have been dangerous. I will now call all uncontrolled airports on the phone before departure. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states his WX brief was from duats and no NOTAM was indicated. He was departing from islip, ny. Problem was compounded on approach as controller failed to give handoff. Reporter admits flight crew should have requested handoff to CTAF which might have jogged approach controller memory of tower existence. Spoke to airport manager and tower after landing. Local controller said he had given green light. Of course, flight crew not looking for one as they were unaware of tower existence. Local controller also said this happens frequently since tower opening. Tower is peopled by military controllers.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LTT FLC LANDS WITHOUT CLRNC AS THEY ARE UNAWARE OF TWR ACTIVATION.

Narrative: 79J NOW HAS AN OPERATING CTL TWR. IT WAS NOT NOTED ON MY COMMERCIAL CHARTS AND I DID NOT NOTICE IT AS A NOTAM. I LANDED WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TWR. VERY EMBARRASSING AND COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS. I WILL NOW CALL ALL UNCTLED ARPTS ON THE PHONE BEFORE DEP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HIS WX BRIEF WAS FROM DUATS AND NO NOTAM WAS INDICATED. HE WAS DEPARTING FROM ISLIP, NY. PROB WAS COMPOUNDED ON APCH AS CTLR FAILED TO GIVE HDOF. RPTR ADMITS FLC SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED HDOF TO CTAF WHICH MIGHT HAVE JOGGED APCH CTLR MEMORY OF TWR EXISTENCE. SPOKE TO ARPT MGR AND TWR AFTER LNDG. LCL CTLR SAID HE HAD GIVEN GREEN LIGHT. OF COURSE, FLC NOT LOOKING FOR ONE AS THEY WERE UNAWARE OF TWR EXISTENCE. LCL CTLR ALSO SAID THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY SINCE TWR OPENING. TWR IS PEOPLED BY MIL CTLRS.

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.