Private pilot incorrectly adjust altimeter and cruises at wrong altitude for direction of flight.

Attributes
ACN	511684
Time
Date	200105
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : tdw.airport
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 8500 msl bound upper : 9500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : zzz.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Twin Beech 18
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 20 flight time total : 3710 flight time type : 1000
ASRS Report	511684
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Aircraft altimeter set on the ground at trade wind airport in amarillo, tx, prior to departure 1000 ft high. Cruise altitude eastbound should have been odd thousands +500 ft (9500 ft MSL). Altimeter error resulted in cruise at 8500 ft instead, which was not the proper altitude on the eastbound flight to graford possum kingdom airport (F35).

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT INCORRECTLY ADJUST ALTIMETER AND CRUISES AT WRONG ALT FOR DIRECTION OF FLT.

Narrative: ACFT ALTIMETER SET ON THE GND AT TRADE WIND ARPT IN AMARILLO, TX, PRIOR TO DEP 1000 FT HIGH. CRUISE ALT EBOUND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ODD THOUSANDS +500 FT (9500 FT MSL). ALTIMETER ERROR RESULTED IN CRUISE AT 8500 FT INSTEAD, WHICH WAS NOT THE PROPER ALT ON THE EBOUND FLT TO GRAFORD POSSUM KINGDOM ARPT (F35).

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.