Can you switch to tower at the marker?

[KeroseneSnorter]

There are times when extreme frequency congestion, a stuck mic, or a radio failure occur in such a circumstance. Rather than try to go around at a busy location with a potential lost comm situation, landing may very well be the safest thing to do. Based on hindsight and seeing the total picture, I would have landed, and will do so if placed in the same situation again.

Avbug,

You will NEVER be violated for going around. You will be if you land without a clearance. The Feds are out for blood on runway incursions. Too many things going on at a large airport that you may not be aware of to risk a landing without a clearance.

 

[bobbysamd]

Contacting tower

I learned that you contact the tower when instructed to do so by Approach or whoever. Also, I certainly would not land unless the Tower clears me to land. My $0.02 is that Avbug did the right thing by going around. The controller might be irate but it is your pilot certificate. A situation like that is worth the postage and time for a NASA report.

 

[wickedpilot]

I have a story that somewhat fits this scenario.

I was shooting the ILS 20L into PDK. ATL appch was not extremely busy and handed me off to twr. When I transmitted to let twr know i was w/ them, the pust to talk failed. I quickly switched from COMM 1 to COMM 2 to see if that would help. Still could not transmit. I could however still hear the twr.

Because I had not yet checked in, and twr was expecting me, they made the call: Duchess XXX are you on this freq.
I replied: Affirmative XXX, but the transmission did not go through.
I had not been cleared to land, and was on a very short final. Just a I began to apply go-around pwr, the twr controller cleared me to land on the assumption I either A: forgot to check in or B: had partial radio failure.

After landing and clearing the active rwy, I squawked 7600. The twr cleared me for taxi to the ramp as a result. No light Gun. I guess that b/c I landed (ie. heard the clearance) they figured I was receiving but could not transmit.

 

[POKEY]

A similar situation that I see with some regularity is not being handed off to dep., particularly during a big push when they are trying to get as many planes out as possible. I often swith to dep. on my own and I have never heard anything from the controllers about it.

 

[ArmyPilot]

This happens a lot...

I have been "forgotten" on approach many times and also have been told to "continue" by tower and had to query for a landing clearance real close to the flare. My two sense is this, if you where not given a landing clearance then why would you even think about landing? You are making all kinds of assumptions when you take it upon yourself to land without the clearance. Rules are rules and it's simple, get a landing clearance or go around. It's your ticket not the tower controllers.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Gulfstream 200]

anyone ever LAND while still on approach freq?

..not that it happened to me, but I know someone who it did....

 

[DitchDriver]

anyone ever LAND while still on approach freq?

..not that it happened to me, but I know someone who it did....

Plenty of times, but only when the same controller worked approach, tower, ground and clearance at the same time.