Flight crew of B737 uses wrong altimeter setting. Altitude deviation results. Controller intervenes.

Attributes
ACN	385110
Time
Date	199711
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : smo airport : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 9800 msl bound upper : 10000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : lax
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent other
Route In Use	arrival star : star
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 11000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	385110
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	other other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Captain transposed altimeter setting from ATIS. He wrote down 29.97 instead of 29.77 (we were 200 ft low). Approach control asked us to check altitude. We asked for local altimeter and made correction. There were no known conflicts. In retrospect, I should have noticed altimeter setting was very high. We were landing after a frontal passage. Also, in the future, I will compare initial altimeter setting from center (when cleared below FL180) with local ATIS altimeter. In addition, I was fatigued after a long day which included some delays and WX deviations.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF B737 USES WRONG ALTIMETER SETTING. ALT DEV RESULTS. CTLR INTERVENES.

Narrative: CAPT TRANSPOSED ALTIMETER SETTING FROM ATIS. HE WROTE DOWN 29.97 INSTEAD OF 29.77 (WE WERE 200 FT LOW). APCH CTL ASKED US TO CHK ALT. WE ASKED FOR LCL ALTIMETER AND MADE CORRECTION. THERE WERE NO KNOWN CONFLICTS. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE NOTICED ALTIMETER SETTING WAS VERY HIGH. WE WERE LNDG AFTER A FRONTAL PASSAGE. ALSO, IN THE FUTURE, I WILL COMPARE INITIAL ALTIMETER SETTING FROM CTR (WHEN CLRED BELOW FL180) WITH LCL ATIS ALTIMETER. IN ADDITION, I WAS FATIGUED AFTER A LONG DAY WHICH INCLUDED SOME DELAYS AND WX DEVS.

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.