Remarkable how we all have differing views on events in life. Nothing threatening or wrong with that. We're all human, and this is a human trait. It's called subjectivity. Yet there are things in life where subjectivity has no place. Landing without a clearance is one of them.
If the reader is a low time pilot pondering what the black of night has in store for him and his limited aviation experience, this thread may have raised some difficult questions.
If the reader is a more experienced pilot who recalls his training, recognizes the rules and the right of ATC and no-one else to give a landing clearance, and the sanctity of same, these are not difficult questions.
What I feel is going on in this thread is that some posters are attempting to avoid making the difficult but fundamentally correct decision in a challenging situation.
Look for the light. If you're at 2 miles or 6 miles and Tower are not responding, transmit blind "Tower xxx123, 2 mile final runway xx, confirm cleared to land?"
Assuming the radio does not spark up and the answer to your question is an emphatic no, they'll give you a red light and you have to go-round.
If the answer to your question is yes, the green comes out and you land.
If a light is not brought out to shine at you, you cannot take the matter into your own hands and land the airplane. You as a Captain don't have the authority to do so. You simply don't have the full picture or the legal right to decide on the ability of the runway to accept you and your (280) tonne airplane.
Laws are a wonderful thing.
Before anyone gets on his high horse with "a Captain has the right to secure the safety of his airplane", just think about what that statement means. First and foremost, of course the Captain has that right. I for one am not doubting or disputing that fact.
Yet if there are established procedures for radio failure and what to do when NOT in possession of a clearance to land and a Captain ignores said procedures and lands without a clearance, it would be difficult to argue that action was not taken for reasons other than expediency.
If you don't have a clearance to land, go round and follow up with what you're trained and asked to do (transmit on another frequency, try another radio set, deselect the transmitter in case of an open mike, try another transmitter, try listening on the NDB (how old is that?), squawk 76, use your cell phone, follow the lost comms procedure).
Stick to procedures. Don't be led on by the siren song of those who say it's my plane and I'll do what I consider is right. What's right is right. In the very, very rare case where what's right is not as clear as it could be, even more reason to follow procedure.
Finally, if things become awfully complicated and overwhelming, break whatever you've got down into smaller parts. Take one step at a time. You have this problem, and it won't go away. It is that you're on final without a landing clearance and the radio seems not to be working.
First things first....