<< >> NASA ASRS Report 419470, November 1998

A descending A320 levels off 300 ft below its assigned altitude when the captain has the wrong altimeter setting placed in his altimeter.

Attributes
ACN	419470
Time
Date	199811
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : fwa
State Reference	IN
Altitude	msl bound lower : 19700 msl bound upper : 20000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A320
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other descent other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 3000 flight time type : 550
ASRS Report	419470
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Captain was flying. He preset his altimeter to the landing field setting. (Some pilots preset the altitude and then pull the knob to get standard 29.92 back -- that way as FL180 is transitioned, all the pilot has to do is push the knob and he has the current setting.) we were in a descent to FL200 while he did this. The captain did not pull the altitude set knob to get 29.92/standard back in the window. We leveled off 300 ft low because of the erroneous altimeter setting. Solution: reset the altimeter passing through transition altitude.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DSNDING A320 LEVELS OFF 300 FT BELOW ITS ASSIGNED ALT WHEN THE CAPT HAS THE WRONG ALTIMETER SETTING PLACED IN HIS ALTIMETER.

Narrative: CAPT WAS FLYING. HE PRESET HIS ALTIMETER TO THE LNDG FIELD SETTING. (SOME PLTS PRESET THE ALT AND THEN PULL THE KNOB TO GET STANDARD 29.92 BACK -- THAT WAY AS FL180 IS TRANSITIONED, ALL THE PLT HAS TO DO IS PUSH THE KNOB AND HE HAS THE CURRENT SETTING.) WE WERE IN A DSCNT TO FL200 WHILE HE DID THIS. THE CAPT DID NOT PULL THE ALT SET KNOB TO GET 29.92/STANDARD BACK IN THE WINDOW. WE LEVELED OFF 300 FT LOW BECAUSE OF THE ERRONEOUS ALTIMETER SETTING. SOLUTION: RESET THE ALTIMETER PASSING THROUGH TRANSITION ALT.

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.