Narrative:

Two seemingly unrelated events were tied together with a common thread. That thread was a very interested and thrilled pilot who was eager to situation in the cockpit with me. In my desire to make him feel welcome, and in my attempt to answer his many questions, I made 2 blunders. The first was to fail to set the current altimeter setting before takeoff. I did not notice this mistake until I was assigned a 90 degree turn off course while in the process of leveling at 10000 ft. ATC advised the turn was for traffic that had departed the same airport after me and was climbing in my vicinity. This unique situation commanded my attention, and conversation with my right seat passenger halted. As I was assessing the situation, I heard ATC give a current altimeter setting. I was disgusted with myself as I reset my altimeter and continued the climb up to 10000 ft. Soon I was turned on course and cleared up to cruising altitude. Conversation soon returned to the cockpit. The flight progressed uneventfully, all the way through the descent, ILS approach, and landing. My right seat pilot/passenger was very impressed with the performance of the automatic pilot during the coupled ILS approach. It was a beautiful sight as we broke out below the overcast at about 1000 ft AGL lined up perfectly with the runway. I demonstrated the accuracy of the automatic pilot down to 200 ft AGL before disconnecting it and landing the airplane. As we were rolling out after landing and about to turn off the runway, I experience something that I truly have never experienced in 7000 hours of fling. I could not with certainty recall if I had been cleared to land. I verified the tower frequency was up on the #1 comm radio, but I really could not recall being cleared to land. I sheepishly told tower that we were going to xyz FBO. They responded by telling me to taxi to the ramp on tower frequency. They never mentioned anything about failure to obtain a landing clearance. To this day, I don't know if I got a landing clearance. I was too scared to ask. In the hours and days that followed, it bugged me that I had possibly made 2 stupid blunders on that flight. Irregardless of the facts, I felt compelled to try to understand what led to these events. I have come to realize that my pilot/passenger was indeed a common thread, in the form of an always present cockpit distraction. As a pilot it's my responsibility to recognize such distractions. In the future, I intend to be much more aware of these distractions, and to exercise extra diligence when distractions are present.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C550 SINGLE PLT OPERATION WAS DISTRACTED WITH A PAX PLT OCCUPYING THE FO SEAT.

Narrative: TWO SEEMINGLY UNRELATED EVENTS WERE TIED TOGETHER WITH A COMMON THREAD. THAT THREAD WAS A VERY INTERESTED AND THRILLED PLT WHO WAS EAGER TO SIT IN THE COCKPIT WITH ME. IN MY DESIRE TO MAKE HIM FEEL WELCOME, AND IN MY ATTEMPT TO ANSWER HIS MANY QUESTIONS, I MADE 2 BLUNDERS. THE FIRST WAS TO FAIL TO SET THE CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING BEFORE TKOF. I DID NOT NOTICE THIS MISTAKE UNTIL I WAS ASSIGNED A 90 DEG TURN OFF COURSE WHILE IN THE PROCESS OF LEVELING AT 10000 FT. ATC ADVISED THE TURN WAS FOR TFC THAT HAD DEPARTED THE SAME ARPT AFTER ME AND WAS CLBING IN MY VICINITY. THIS UNIQUE SIT COMMANDED MY ATTENTION, AND CONVERSATION WITH MY RIGHT SEAT PAX HALTED. AS I WAS ASSESSING THE SIT, I HEARD ATC GIVE A CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING. I WAS DISGUSTED WITH MYSELF AS I RESET MY ALTIMETER AND CONTINUED THE CLIMB UP TO 10000 FT. SOON I WAS TURNED ON COURSE AND CLRED UP TO CRUISING ALTITUDE. CONVERSATION SOON RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. THE FLT PROGRESSED UNEVENTFULLY, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE DESCENT, ILS APCH, AND LANDING. MY RIGHT SEAT PLT/PAX WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AUTO PLT DURING THE COUPLED ILS APCH. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT AS WE BROKE OUT BELOW THE OVERCAST AT ABOUT 1000 FT AGL LINED UP PERFECTLY WITH THE RWY. I DEMONSTRATED THE ACCURACY OF THE AUTO PLT DOWN TO 200 FT AGL BEFORE DISCONNECTING IT AND LANDING THE AIRPLANE. AS WE WERE ROLLING OUT AFTER LANDING AND ABOUT TO TURN OFF THE RWY, I EXPERIENCE SOMETHING THAT I TRULY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IN 7000 HOURS OF FLING. I COULD NOT WITH CERTAINTY RECALL IF I HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND. I VERIFIED THE TWR FREQ WAS UP ON THE #1 COMM RADIO, BUT I REALLY COULD NOT RECALL BEING CLRED TO LAND. I SHEEPISHLY TOLD TWR THAT WE WERE GOING TO XYZ FBO. THEY RESPONDED BY TELLING ME TO TAXI TO THE RAMP ON TWR FREQ. THEY NEVER MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT FAILURE TO OBTAIN A LANDING CLRNC. TO THIS DAY, I DON'T KNOW IF I GOT A LANDING CLRNC. I WAS TOO SCARED TO ASK. IN THE HOURS AND DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, IT BUGGED ME THAT I HAD POSSIBLY MADE 2 STUPID BLUNDERS ON THAT FLT. IRREGARDLESS OF THE FACTS, I FELT COMPELLED TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LED TO THESE EVENTS. I HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT MY PLT/PAX WAS INDEED A COMMON THREAD, IN THE FORM OF AN ALWAYS PRESENT COCKPIT DISTRACTION. AS A PLT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO RECOGNIZE SUCH DISTRACTIONS. IN THE FUTURE, I INTEND TO BE MUCH MORE AWARE OF THESE DISTRACTIONS, AND TO EXERCISE EXTRA DILIGENCE WHEN DISTRACTIONS ARE PRESENT.

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.