FLC FAILS TO LEVEL AT ASSIGNED ALT TO CLB.

Narrative

MY TKOF BRIEFING TO THE FO COVERS MANY ITEMS; BUT UP UNTIL RECENTLY; NOT THE ASSIGNED ALT ON DEP. WHY NOT? THE AIRPLANE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ALT ALERTER ON THE INST PANEL; WHICH CAN EASILY BE READ BY BOTH PLTS. AND SINCE IT IS SET TO THE ASSIGNED ALT; I NEVER FELT THE NEED TO MENTION IT DURING THE BRIEFING. DURING TAXI; THE FO READS THE CLRNC ALOUD AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME DURING THE 'TAXI' CHKLIST. I HEARD THE ALT ASSIGNMENT: MAINTAIN 5000 FT; EXPECT 13000 FT; HOWEVER IT DID NOT REGISTER. MY ATTN WAS ON TAXIING THE AIRPLANE. ALSO; I AM PARTLY DISTRACTED BY THE CHATTER ON THE RADIO. THE FO MISTAKENLY PUTS 13000 FT IN THE ALT ALERTER INSTEAD OF 5000 FT. THE NON-RADAR TWR HANDS US OFF TO ZKC. BY THE TIME WE ESTABLISH COMS WITH CTR; WE'RE AT 5500 FT AND CLBING. CTR ASKS US TO VERIFY ASSIGNED ALT. WE RPT 13000 FT. CTR ACKNOWLEDGES IN A MATTER-OF-FACT MANNER; AND WE ARE ASSIGNED A NEW HDG IN ORDER TO ALLOW ANOTHER AIRPLANE TO DSND TO THE ARPT WE DEPARTED. ABOUT THAT TIME; THE FO HAPPENS TO NOTICE THE TKOF DATA CARD; WHICH HAS OUR CLRNC WRITTEN ON IT. THE FO ALSO CALLS MY ATTN TO THE ERROR. I ELECT TO CONTINUE CLB TO 13000 FT; SINCE THE CTLR HAS ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED IT; AND HAS NOT CHALLENGED OUR ERROR IN ALT ASSIGNMENT. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE EVENTS OCCURRED LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT OR LOSS OF SEPARATION. THE ERROR WAS A RESULT OF INATTN ON THE PART OF BOTH CREWMEMBERS. THE FO SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ATTENTIVE IN SETTING THE ALT ALERTER; ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CLRNC WAS POSTED RIGHT NEXT TO IT. AS CAPT; I SHOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED MYSELF TO HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED WHEN THE CLRNC WAS READ ALOUD BY THE FO. IF I HAD INCLUDED THE ASSIGNED ALT IN THE TKOF BRIEFING; AS I WILL HENCEFORTH; I BELIEVE THE ERROR WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BEFORE TKOF.