Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
IMC night; aircraft configured with gear down; flaps 10 on very tight vectors to ILS 08 localizer. [We were] cleared to descend to 2;300 on QNH 981 mb. Autopilot on; HDG selected; descending in FLCH from 5;000 to 2;300 MSL. I failed to select local altimeter at the transition altitude of 4;000. Because I didn't look to confirm what button I pushed. My crosscheck failed to pick up the amber STD altimeter alert. The autopilot did what I had set up and descended through our assigned altitude since my altimeter setting was incorrect. I was monitoring the descent and [believed I] still had approximately 200 FT to level off. The Captain caught the deviation; assumed control of the aircraft and initiated a go-around; simultaneous with an ATC altitude advisory. We reentered downwind and I landed uneventfully. My failure to transition to local QNH at transition altitude and the crew failure to run the Approach Check at transition altitude were causal in this deviation.Follow SOP; back each other up; especially during night IMC when task saturated.
Passing Transition Level 040 pilot flying did not make Transition Level call. I made Transition Level call and changed my altimeter to 981 mb. At this time while waiting for pilot flying to call for Approach Check a lot happened. We were intercepting LOC final and descending with a high rate of descent with gear down and flaps 10 because of the late let down. At this time realized the airplane was not going to level off at 2;300 FT; the assigned altitude. I took control of the aircraft disconnected the autopilot and climbed back to 2;300 FT. I will admit I was task saturated. I did not make the Approach Check call which would have mitigated the situation. Pilot flying later stated he pushed the TFC EFIS button rather than the STD Transition Level button. In the future especially with a low altimeter setting and a low Transition Altitude if cleared to an altitude below our Transition Level hitting the button and having it set would give more time to do the Approach Check and attend to the flying of the aircraft. I take full responsibility for this deviation.
A B747-400 flight crew descending for landing at a foreign airport which utilizes a very low transition altitude of 4;000 MSL descended below their cleared altitude when the pilot flying failed to reset his altimeter to QNH passing the transition altitude.