Flight crew of a B767-300 overshot climb altitude due to setting the wrong altimeter setting at the ...

Attributes
ACN	367770
Time
Date	199705
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : svo
State Reference	FO
Altitude	msl bound lower : 7900 msl bound upper : 8900
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : svo
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Route In Use	departure other departure sid : sid enroute airway : svo
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	other other : other pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 85 flight time total : 12688 flight time type : 5307
ASRS Report	367770
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	other other : other pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 2000
ASRS Report	367912
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : published procedure non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified atc
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to assigned altitude other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On departure from svo (sheremetyevo airport moscow, russia) in may 1997, I was the captain of flight and was flying the leg to jfk. Our departure was normal off runway 7R and we were initially cleared to 900 meters. After receiving clearance to 1800 meters, we initiated a VNAV climb and before reaching 1800 meters we received an additional climb clearance to 2400 meters. Prior to leveloff, I called for altimeters to 29.92 inches but was distracted and only set 28.92 inches. My first officer was also distracted with frequency changing and the altitude conversion chart and also set 28.92 inches. Our relief pilot saw us both reach out to reset our altimeters and also was distracted and looked away once he saw .92 inches. He, too, missed our resetting our altimeters to only 28.92 inches. Moscow control caught our error as we were leveling at what we thought was our assigned altitude when we were in fact 300 meters or 1000 ft too high. I initiated an immediate descent as we all now noticed the incorrect altimeter setting. Once level at the correct altitude we were again cleared to continue our climb. No mention was made to us of possible traffic conflict and none was observed on TCASII. If I had called for the altimeters to be reset to 1013 millibars instead of 29.92 inches then maybe we would not have set 28.92. We all thought we saw 29.92 because we are used to making small adjustments. Russia uses off settings in millibars and a transition altitude of 900 meters. All these differences and the language barrier added to our workload. I was the only pilot of the 3 of us to have been to svo before and that was once 6 months earlier. To prevent the above situation from happening again, I will brief the relief pilot to pay more attention to xchking the 2 flying pilots and to be sure we reset our altimeters to 1013 millibars at the proper transition altitude no matter what country we fly into or out of. You can be sure this pilot will not let this happen again.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF A B767-300 OVERSHOT CLB ALT DUE TO SETTING THE WRONG ALTIMETER SETTING AT THE TRANSITION ALT DURING A STANDARD INST DEP IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.

Narrative: ON DEP FROM SVO (SHEREMETYEVO ARPT MOSCOW, RUSSIA) IN MAY 1997, I WAS THE CAPT OF FLT AND WAS FLYING THE LEG TO JFK. OUR DEP WAS NORMAL OFF RWY 7R AND WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO 900 METERS. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO 1800 METERS, WE INITIATED A VNAV CLB AND BEFORE REACHING 1800 METERS WE RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL CLB CLRNC TO 2400 METERS. PRIOR TO LEVELOFF, I CALLED FOR ALTIMETERS TO 29.92 INCHES BUT WAS DISTRACTED AND ONLY SET 28.92 INCHES. MY FO WAS ALSO DISTRACTED WITH FREQ CHANGING AND THE ALT CONVERSION CHART AND ALSO SET 28.92 INCHES. OUR RELIEF PLT SAW US BOTH REACH OUT TO RESET OUR ALTIMETERS AND ALSO WAS DISTRACTED AND LOOKED AWAY ONCE HE SAW .92 INCHES. HE, TOO, MISSED OUR RESETTING OUR ALTIMETERS TO ONLY 28.92 INCHES. MOSCOW CTL CAUGHT OUR ERROR AS WE WERE LEVELING AT WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT WHEN WE WERE IN FACT 300 METERS OR 1000 FT TOO HIGH. I INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT AS WE ALL NOW NOTICED THE INCORRECT ALTIMETER SETTING. ONCE LEVEL AT THE CORRECT ALT WE WERE AGAIN CLRED TO CONTINUE OUR CLB. NO MENTION WAS MADE TO US OF POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT AND NONE WAS OBSERVED ON TCASII. IF I HAD CALLED FOR THE ALTIMETERS TO BE RESET TO 1013 MILLIBARS INSTEAD OF 29.92 INCHES THEN MAYBE WE WOULD NOT HAVE SET 28.92. WE ALL THOUGHT WE SAW 29.92 BECAUSE WE ARE USED TO MAKING SMALL ADJUSTMENTS. RUSSIA USES OFF SETTINGS IN MILLIBARS AND A TRANSITION ALT OF 900 METERS. ALL THESE DIFFERENCES AND THE LANGUAGE BARRIER ADDED TO OUR WORKLOAD. I WAS THE ONLY PLT OF THE 3 OF US TO HAVE BEEN TO SVO BEFORE AND THAT WAS ONCE 6 MONTHS EARLIER. TO PREVENT THE ABOVE SIT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, I WILL BRIEF THE RELIEF PLT TO PAY MORE ATTN TO XCHKING THE 2 FLYING PLTS AND TO BE SURE WE RESET OUR ALTIMETERS TO 1013 MILLIBARS AT THE PROPER TRANSITION ALT NO MATTER WHAT COUNTRY WE FLY INTO OR OUT OF. YOU CAN BE SURE THIS PLT WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.

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.

Flight crew of a B767-300 overshot climb altitude due to setting the wrong altimeter setting at the transition altitude during a standard instrument departure in a foreign country.