SAAB 2000 FLT CREW HAS AN ALTDEV AND TCAS RA DURING DEP.

Narrative

PRIOR TO DEP; I COPIED THE CLRNC FROM GND CTL AS RADAR VECTORS TO EON THEN AS FILED; CLB TO 3000 FT. I BELIEVED THAT I HAD SET 3000 FT IN THE ALT PRE-SELECTOR; ALTHOUGH THE FACTS LATER INDICATE THAT I MUST HAVE SET 5000 FT. I HAVE NO GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS ERROR. BOTH PLTS REVIEWED THE HANDWRITTEN CLRNC PRIOR TO ENG START; BUT FAILED TO CATCH THE ERROR IN THE PRE-SELECTOR. WE NORMALLY BRIEF THE TKOF PRIOR TO DEP; INCLUDING INITIAL ALT AND WE SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE MISTAKE THEN. WE WERE GIVEN A TKOF CLRNC ON RWY 9 ALONG WITH AN INITIAL HDG OF 180 DEGS AFTER TKOF. INITIAL TKOF AND DEP WAS NORMAL EXCEPT THAT THE ACFT CLB PERFORMANCE WAS GREATER THAN NORMAL (LIGHT WT TKOF); AND THAT WE WERE CONCERNED FOR GA TFC IN THE AREA. TWR HANDED US OFF TO DEP CTL AS WE WERE CLBING THROUGH APPROX 2000 FT MSL. I MADE MY INITIAL CALL TO DEP CTL PASSING APPROX 2500 FT MSL (WE HAD BEEN CLBING AT OVER 2000 FPM; BUT THE CAPT HAD BEGUN TO SHALLOW THE CLB SOMEWHAT). I RPTED TO ATC THAT WE WERE PASSING 2500 FT FOR 5000 FT (I WAS READING THE ALT FROM THE ALT PRE-SELECTOR). AFTER THAT RADIO CALL; IT TRIGGERED IN MY MIND THAT THE 5000 FT WAS NOT THE RIGHT ALT; BUT BY THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO RESOLVE THE DISCREPANCY; WE WERE ALREADY PASSING THROUGH 3000 FT. APPROX 10 SECONDS LATER AT APPROX 3400 FT MSL; THE TCAS GAVE US AN RA COMMAND TO DSND WHICH WE COMPLIED WITH IMMEDIATELY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 702462: I GOT IN THE ACFT AND BRIEFED THE DEP ON THE RAMP PRIOR TO ENG START. I BRIEFED THE ALT (5000 FT) 2 SEPARATE TIMES AT THE RAMP AND PRIOR TO TKOF WITHOUT THE CO-CAPT ACKNOWLEDGING THE MISTAKE. DEPARTED RWY 9 AND R TURN TO 180 DEGS AFTER DEP. AS I WAS CLBING THROUGH 2800 FT MSL THE CTLR POINTED OUT TFC 2 O'CLOCK POS AND 1 MI. WE GOT AN RA (DSND) AS I WAS CLBING THROUGH 3200 FT AND I BEGAN A DSCNT AS THE B757 WAS CLBING DUE TO AN RA TO CLB. THE CTLR CAME BACK ON THE RADIO TO INQUIRE. 3 WAYS TO HAVE PREVENTED THIS PLTDEV: 1) BOTH PLTS IN COCKPIT LISTENING TO CLRNC. 2) PF SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT PAPER WHERE CLRNC WAS WRITTEN (IT WAS ON DASH OUT OF SIGHT). 3) DURING TKOF CLRNC FROM THE TWR; THE PLT OPERATING THE RADIOS SHOULD CONFIRM CLBING R TURN TO 180 DEGS TO 3000 FT OR 5000 FT WHICH WAS SET IMPROPERLY. 4) NO DISTRS SUCH AS CELL PHONES IN COCKPIT. 5) THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THE MDW ARRS AT 4000 FT AND THE LOT 3000 FT DEPS DURING SUMMER MONTHS WITH HIGH AVIATION ACTIVITY.