LGT CREW MAKES ERRORS CONVERTING METERS TO FEET AND DESCENDS BELOW ASSIGNED ALTITUDE DURING APPROACH TO MOSCOW'S SHEREMETYEVO AIRPORT.

Narrative

WITH THE FO FLYING THE ACFT; WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO DSND TO 600 METERS MSL WHILE ON THE UM25B ARR TO MOSCOW (SHEREMETYEVO). BOTH THE RELIEF PLT AND MYSELF (CAPT) CONFIRMED A 2600 FT MSL ALT CONVERSION. AFTER INTERCEPTING FINAL TO RWY 25R; THE CTLR REQUESTED THAT WE 'STOP DSCNT.' I NOTICED THAT WE WERE LEVEL AT 2000 FT MSL. AFTER ARR AT THE GATE; I ASKED THE FO ABOUT THE DISCREPANCY; AND DISCOVERED THAT HE HAD BEEN USING AN EXPIRED ALT CONVERSION CHART WITH QFE ALTS BELOW THE TRANSITION LEVEL; INSTEAD OF QNH ALTS AS USED ON THE NEW CONVERSION CHART; HENCE THE 600 FT ALTDEV. I FEEL THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF THIS DEV WERE THE FAILURE OF THE FO FLYING THE ACFT TO USE A CURRENT ALT CONVERSION CHART; AND THE FAILURE OF THE CAPT AND RELIEF PLT TO CONFIRM THE PROPER ALT HAD BEEN SET ON THE MCP. IN ADDITION; CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: 1) FATIGUE. 2) VERY POOR ENGLISH USED BY THE ATC CTLR RESULTING IN NUMEROUS REPEATS; AND 3) METERS TO FEET ALT CONVERSION PROCS USED ONLY IN RUSSIA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CREW WAS VERY TIRED AND COMBINED WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER MAY HAVE PRODUCED A MISUNDERSTANDING AS TO WHETHER QFE OR QNH WAS BEING USED FOR THE ALTIMETER SETTING.