FLC OF A B767-300 OVERSHOT CLB ALT DUE TO SETTING THE WRONG ALTIMETER SETTING AT THE TRANSITION ALT DURING A STANDARD INST DEP IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.

Narrative

ON DEP FROM SVO (SHEREMETYEVO ARPT MOSCOW; RUSSIA) IN MAY 1997; I WAS THE CAPT OF FLT AND WAS FLYING THE LEG TO JFK. OUR DEP WAS NORMAL OFF RWY 7R AND WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO 900 METERS. AFTER RECEIVING CLRNC TO 1800 METERS; WE INITIATED A VNAV CLB AND BEFORE REACHING 1800 METERS WE RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL CLB CLRNC TO 2400 METERS. PRIOR TO LEVELOFF; I CALLED FOR ALTIMETERS TO 29.92 INCHES BUT WAS DISTRACTED AND ONLY SET 28.92 INCHES. MY FO WAS ALSO DISTRACTED WITH FREQ CHANGING AND THE ALT CONVERSION CHART AND ALSO SET 28.92 INCHES. OUR RELIEF PLT SAW US BOTH REACH OUT TO RESET OUR ALTIMETERS AND ALSO WAS DISTRACTED AND LOOKED AWAY ONCE HE SAW .92 INCHES. HE; TOO; MISSED OUR RESETTING OUR ALTIMETERS TO ONLY 28.92 INCHES. MOSCOW CTL CAUGHT OUR ERROR AS WE WERE LEVELING AT WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT WHEN WE WERE IN FACT 300 METERS OR 1000 FT TOO HIGH. I INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT AS WE ALL NOW NOTICED THE INCORRECT ALTIMETER SETTING. ONCE LEVEL AT THE CORRECT ALT WE WERE AGAIN CLRED TO CONTINUE OUR CLB. NO MENTION WAS MADE TO US OF POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICT AND NONE WAS OBSERVED ON TCASII. IF I HAD CALLED FOR THE ALTIMETERS TO BE RESET TO 1013 MILLIBARS INSTEAD OF 29.92 INCHES THEN MAYBE WE WOULD NOT HAVE SET 28.92. WE ALL THOUGHT WE SAW 29.92 BECAUSE WE ARE USED TO MAKING SMALL ADJUSTMENTS. RUSSIA USES OFF SETTINGS IN MILLIBARS AND A TRANSITION ALT OF 900 METERS. ALL THESE DIFFERENCES AND THE LANGUAGE BARRIER ADDED TO OUR WORKLOAD. I WAS THE ONLY PLT OF THE 3 OF US TO HAVE BEEN TO SVO BEFORE AND THAT WAS ONCE 6 MONTHS EARLIER. TO PREVENT THE ABOVE SIT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN; I WILL BRIEF THE RELIEF PLT TO PAY MORE ATTN TO XCHKING THE 2 FLYING PLTS AND TO BE SURE WE RESET OUR ALTIMETERS TO 1013 MILLIBARS AT THE PROPER TRANSITION ALT NO MATTER WHAT COUNTRY WE FLY INTO OR OUT OF. YOU CAN BE SURE THIS PLT WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.