An air carrier B727 flight crew's captain forgot to change to the local altimeter setting descending...

Narrative:

On jan/fri/98, we had what might have appeared to be an altitude excursion. I was the captain on an air carrier from ord to atl and we had started descent on the rome arrival into atlanta. The time was approximately XA10 local and we appeared to be the only one on approach which is unusual for atlanta. The WX was good with better than 25 mi visibility. We were given the clearance to cross the erlin intersection at 13000 ft. The copilot was flying the aircraft and going through 18000 ft he called for the descent check. Our rate of descent was approximately 3500-4000 FPM. I reached up to turn the lights on and about that time ZTL changed us over to approach control. I immediately answered, tuned the frequency, and checked in with atl approach. They immediately gave us present position direct catta which is the OM/ADF for runway 8L. I answered and immediately attempted to tune catta. I wasn't having much luck in tuning catta which is a little more difficult to tune on our older B727's since they use a radio dial type mechanism. I called going through 14000 ft for 13000 ft then gave tuning catta another try. About this time the copilot got my attention by asking my altitude. The copilot who was at about 13300 ft and starting to level looked at my altimeter (most coplts level and fly the aircraft on the captain's altimeter because it is the only one that is corrected by the CADC and is more accurate at altitude). My altimeter was about 12700-12800 ft while his showed 13300 ft. We quickly compared our settings and noticed I had not tuned to the local/below 18000 ft setting of 30.53. The copilot had his tuned to the proper local altimeter setting. The copilot completed the leveloff at 13000 ft and I quickly tuned my altimeter to the proper local altimeter setting. Almost immediately we were given further descent to 10000 ft. We reran the descent check to see if anything else had been missed while being interrupted by ZTL during the original start of the descent check. In summary there was no altitude excursion, but may have appeared to be so due to my delay in setting my captain's altimeter. It would only appear so if the data from the captain's altimeter feeds the transponder. If the transponder has its own altitude sensing and is corrected by the center's computer it would have showed our altitude of 13300 ft the altitude we were at when we noticed the discrepancy. Atl approach did not query us on our altitude but we thought this was worthy enough to be mentioned. The lessons learned from this incident are number one to be careful about finishing checklists when an interruption occurs. Make sure you get backup calls from the engineer and copilot in completing checks. In this case the copilot caught my error barely in time. I rebriefed the engineer to make sure when he reads a checklist item he checks that the called for item gets done by both crew members and number two he gets a response from both crew members. Being a new captain this will become a high emphasis item for me on future crew briefs.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR B727 FLC'S CAPT FORGOT TO CHANGE TO THE LCL ALTIMETER SETTING DSNDING OUT OF FL180 SO AS THEY APCHED THEIR LEVELOFF ALT OF 13000 FT THE CAPT'S ALTIMETER SHOWED LESS THAN 13000 FT.

Narrative: ON JAN/FRI/98, WE HAD WHAT MIGHT HAVE APPEARED TO BE AN ALT EXCURSION. I WAS THE CAPT ON AN ACR FROM ORD TO ATL AND WE HAD STARTED DSCNT ON THE ROME ARR INTO ATLANTA. THE TIME WAS APPROX XA10 LCL AND WE APPEARED TO BE THE ONLY ONE ON APCH WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR ATLANTA. THE WX WAS GOOD WITH BETTER THAN 25 MI VISIBILITY. WE WERE GIVEN THE CLRNC TO CROSS THE ERLIN INTXN AT 13000 FT. THE COPLT WAS FLYING THE ACFT AND GOING THROUGH 18000 FT HE CALLED FOR THE DSCNT CHK. OUR RATE OF DSCNT WAS APPROX 3500-4000 FPM. I REACHED UP TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON AND ABOUT THAT TIME ZTL CHANGED US OVER TO APCH CTL. I IMMEDIATELY ANSWERED, TUNED THE FREQ, AND CHKED IN WITH ATL APCH. THEY IMMEDIATELY GAVE US PRESENT POS DIRECT CATTA WHICH IS THE OM/ADF FOR RWY 8L. I ANSWERED AND IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO TUNE CATTA. I WASN'T HAVING MUCH LUCK IN TUNING CATTA WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO TUNE ON OUR OLDER B727'S SINCE THEY USE A RADIO DIAL TYPE MECHANISM. I CALLED GOING THROUGH 14000 FT FOR 13000 FT THEN GAVE TUNING CATTA ANOTHER TRY. ABOUT THIS TIME THE COPLT GOT MY ATTN BY ASKING MY ALT. THE COPLT WHO WAS AT ABOUT 13300 FT AND STARTING TO LEVEL LOOKED AT MY ALTIMETER (MOST COPLTS LEVEL AND FLY THE ACFT ON THE CAPT'S ALTIMETER BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY ONE THAT IS CORRECTED BY THE CADC AND IS MORE ACCURATE AT ALT). MY ALTIMETER WAS ABOUT 12700-12800 FT WHILE HIS SHOWED 13300 FT. WE QUICKLY COMPARED OUR SETTINGS AND NOTICED I HAD NOT TUNED TO THE LOCAL/BELOW 18000 FT SETTING OF 30.53. THE COPLT HAD HIS TUNED TO THE PROPER LCL ALTIMETER SETTING. THE COPLT COMPLETED THE LEVELOFF AT 13000 FT AND I QUICKLY TUNED MY ALTIMETER TO THE PROPER LCL ALTIMETER SETTING. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE WERE GIVEN FURTHER DSCNT TO 10000 FT. WE RERAN THE DSCNT CHK TO SEE IF ANYTHING ELSE HAD BEEN MISSED WHILE BEING INTERRUPTED BY ZTL DURING THE ORIGINAL START OF THE DSCNT CHK. IN SUMMARY THERE WAS NO ALT EXCURSION, BUT MAY HAVE APPEARED TO BE SO DUE TO MY DELAY IN SETTING MY CAPT'S ALTIMETER. IT WOULD ONLY APPEAR SO IF THE DATA FROM THE CAPT'S ALTIMETER FEEDS THE XPONDER. IF THE XPONDER HAS ITS OWN ALT SENSING AND IS CORRECTED BY THE CTR'S COMPUTER IT WOULD HAVE SHOWED OUR ALT OF 13300 FT THE ALT WE WERE AT WHEN WE NOTICED THE DISCREPANCY. ATL APCH DID NOT QUERY US ON OUR ALT BUT WE THOUGHT THIS WAS WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE MENTIONED. THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT ARE NUMBER ONE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT FINISHING CHKLISTS WHEN AN INTERRUPTION OCCURS. MAKE SURE YOU GET BACKUP CALLS FROM THE ENGINEER AND COPLT IN COMPLETING CHKS. IN THIS CASE THE COPLT CAUGHT MY ERROR BARELY IN TIME. I REBRIEFED THE ENGINEER TO MAKE SURE WHEN HE READS A CHKLIST ITEM HE CHKS THAT THE CALLED FOR ITEM GETS DONE BY BOTH CREW MEMBERS AND NUMBER TWO HE GETS A RESPONSE FROM BOTH CREW MEMBERS. BEING A NEW CAPT THIS WILL BECOME A HIGH EMPHASIS ITEM FOR ME ON FUTURE CREW BRIEFS.

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.

Attributes
ACN	389960
Time
Date	199801
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : atl
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 13000 msl bound upper : 13000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : atl
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B727-200
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 3800
ASRS Report	389960
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 114 flight time total : 2500 flight time type : 114
ASRS Report	390149
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

An air carrier B727 flight crew's captain forgot to change to the local altimeter setting descending out of FL180 so as they approached their leveloff altitude of 13000 ft the captain's altimeter showed less than 13000 ft.