Large Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Workload; Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
I parked the aircraft without Marshalers. How could that happen?? I'm asking myself the same question now. I had one of my worst landings in a few years on a VFR; no-wind Vegas evening so this matter definitely put me in the Red; although insidiously; my brain was thinking about the landing when it should have been focused on the safe completion of the flight.I was cleared to the gate by ramp and noticed an aircraft waiting to taxi out in the alley so I believe I was thinking about getting into the gate without causing a delay for that flight. I have a mini checklist I use for the gate area; 'flaps up; on the bus; lights out; Safety Zone clear' and verbalized and verified these facts as I do every flight. I entered the Safety Zone with expectation bias of Marshalers when they were never there; cruising in there like an idiot and it did not register until the gate went by; where I stopped one foot from the mark and set the parking brake. When the Ground Crew showed up they said 'you didn't even need us!' Yes I did. The First Officer was a non-Vegas new guy; great attitude; no issues there; just inexperienced.
A B737 Captain reported that his aircraft arrived at the gate with no marshallers present.