Altimeter Setting Procedures

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Article Information
Category:	Level Bust
Content source:	SKYbrary
Content control:	EUROCONTROL

Contents 1 Description 2 Types of Altimeter Setting Error 3 Effects 4 Defences 5 Typical Scenarios 6 Solutions 7 Related Articles 8 Accidents and Incidents 9 Further Reading

Description

The aircraft altimeter barometric sub-scale must be set to the appropriate setting for the phase of flight. These are:

• Flight level. Standard pressure setting (1013 hPa) is set when flying by reference to flight levels above the transition altitude;
• Altitude. Regional or airfield pressure setting (QNH) is set when flying by reference to altitude above mean sea level below the transition level;
• Height. Altimeter pressure setting indicating height above airfield or touchdown (QFE) is set when approaching to land at airfield where this procedure is in use.

Failure to set the appropriate barometric sub-scale pressure setting may result in a significant deviation from the cleared altitude or Flight Level

Types of Altimeter Setting Error

• The pilot mishears the transmitted pressure setting and sets an incorrect figure.
• The pilot hears the transmitted pressure setting correctly but fails to set it or mis-sets it.
• The pilot fails to change the pressure setting at the appropriate point in a departure, climb, descent or approach.

Effects

• Failure to set the appropriate pressure setting, can result in deviation from the cleared altitude or flight level leading to level bust, loss of separation from other traffic, and even collision with other aircraft or with the ground (CFIT).
• Loss of situational awareness due to failure to appreciate the significance of a pressure setting (especially QFE as opposed to QNH). This can result in incorrect appreciation of the closeness of the ground possibly leading to an unstabilised approach or collision with the ground (CFIT).

Defences

Effective SOPs contained in company flight operations manuals which specify appropriate procedures for the setting and cross-checking of altimeter barometric sub scales.

Typical Scenarios

• A pilot fails to ensure that standard pressure is set when passing the transition altitude in the climb, and levels the aircraft at a flight level which differs from the cleared level by an amount depending on the difference between the QNH and 1013 hPa.
• A pilot fails to set QNH when passing the transition level in the descent and levels the aircraft at an altitude which differs from the cleared altitude by an amount depending on the difference between QNH and 1013 hPa.
• A pilot un-used to landing with QFE set, does not remember that the altimeter now indicates height above airfield elevation or touch-down and consequently that the aircraft is likely to be closer, and possibly a lot closer, to the ground than with QNH set.

Solutions

• The existence of appropriate SOPs for the setting and cross-checking of altimeter sub scales and their strict observance is the only universal primary solution to eliminate incorrect altimeter setting.

• Use of the aircraft radio altimeter to monitor the aircraft proximity with the ground can help to improve situational awareness provided that the flight crew are generally familiar with the terrain over which they are flying;

• GPWS/TAWS provide a safety net against CFIT and in the case of TAWS Class 'A' with its option of a simple terrain mapping display, it can also be used to directly improve routine situational awareness.

Related Articles

• Altimeter Pressure Settings

Accidents and Incidents

Events in which the incorrect altimeter pressure setting was either a cause or contributing factor in a Level Bust or CFIT/near CFIT:

• MD11, vicinity East Midlands UK, 2005 (LB HF) (On 3 December 2005, the crew of a MD-11 freighter failed to set the (very low) QNH for a night approach, due to distraction, and as a result descended well below the cleared altitude given by ATC for the intercept heading for the ILS at Nottingham East Midlands airport, UK.)
• B733, vicinity Helsinki Finland, 2008 (LB CFIT HF) (On 26 March 2008, while being radar vectored to the Helsinki-Vantaaa airport, a Ukraine International Airlines’ Boeing 737-300 descended below its ATC cleared altitude, breaking the minimum terrain clearance with a telecommunications mast ahead of its track. The air traffic controller noticed that the airliner had deviated from its clearance altitude and ordered it to immediately return to 2300 FT.)

• A310, vicinity Birmingham UK, 2006 (LB CFIT HF) (On 24 November 2006, an A310 descended significantly below cleared altitude during a radar vectored approach positioning, as a result of the flight crew's failure to set the QNH, which was unusually low.)
• LJ35, vicinity Masset BC Canada, 1995 (CFIT HF) (On 11 January 1995, a Learjet 35, crashed into the sea while conducting an NDB approach to Masset, British Columbia, Canada. The most probable cause was considered to be a miss-set altimeter.)
• AT45, vicinity Sienajoki Finland, 2007 (LOC CFIT HF) (On 1 January 2007, the crew of a ATR 42-500 carried out successive night approaches into Seinajoki Finland including three with EGPWS warnings, one near stall, and one near loss of control, all attributed to poor flight crew performance including use of the wrong barometirc sub scale setting.)
• B733, vicinity Helsinki Finland, 2008 (LB CFIT HF) (On 26 March 2008, while being radar vectored to the Helsinki-Vantaaa airport, a Ukraine International Airlines’ Boeing 737-300 descended below its ATC cleared altitude, breaking the minimum terrain clearance with a telecommunications mast ahead of its track. The air traffic controller noticed that the airliner had deviated from its clearance altitude and ordered it to immediately return to 2300 FT.)

Further Reading

ICAO

• Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS), Volume I, Flight Procedures - Part VI - Altimeter Setting Procedures - Chapter 3.
• ICAO Video: Altimetry - Basic Principles;

Flight Safety Foundation ALAR Toolkit

• Briefing Note 3.1 Approach Hazards Overview

EUROCONTROL Level Bust Toolkit

• Level Bust Briefing Note Ops 2 - Altimeter Setting Procedures;

Airbus Briefing Notes

• Airbus Supplementary Briefing Note - Altimeter Setting - Use of Radio Altimeter.