Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Weather; Human Factors
While being vectored for the ILS 23 into CAK; ATC gave us a descent to 3;100 FT. When leveling at 3;100 FT; pilot flying noticed the Radar Altimeter reading about 1;250 AGL. ACK field elevation is 1;225 MSL. Both pilots felt the aircraft was low. Pilot not flying asked ATC to verify the altitude and altimeter setting. Center responded that we had been cleared to 3;100 FT and the altimeter setting was 29.35. ATC also showed us low and ask us to climb back to 3;100 FT. We reset or altimeters from 30.35 to 29.35 then climbed to 3;100 FT. We were flying into a low pressure system that was part of a cold front. A setting of 30.35 should have seemed too high for this type of weather. Asking the Controller of listening to the ATIS a second time could confirm that the wrong setting had been entered.
An aircraft approaching CAK in changing weather conditions was 700 FT low on approach because of an incorrect barometric altimeter setting which was detected first by a low radar altitude; then by ATC.