Narrative:

We were in cruise flight on an IFR flight plan from buffalo to albany at 9000 ft. We were just above the cloud deck in VFR conditions when it became obvious that we were going to enter a 'cell' of dark clouds that extended up to 12000 ft or so. It appeared that we could get around the area by diverting a few mi to the north, but the area didn't have what I had learned to be the typical appearance of a thunderstorm cell. I thought seriously about requesting a deviation around it, but decided to go on through. Mistake! Not a big one, but nevertheless a mistake. As soon as we entered the clouds it was much darker than I expected, and we could see a few faint flashes of lightening off to the north. We encountered moderate rain and slight turbulence but, when asked by rochester approach how the ride was, our reply was 'not bad.' we then flew into a much lighter area of clouds and I thought we were through the cell. However, we almost immediately entered a second dark area, again encountered moderate rain, then moderate turbulence that was certainly uncomfortable, both physically and psychologically, for both myself and my passengers. Our altitude went +/- 200 ft of our assigned altitude a number of times and suddenly we were 500 ft high. It only took a few seconds to get back down to 9000 ft but we were definitely out of the envelope for a few seconds. Shortly after that we were through the cell and back in VFR conditions. My obvious mistake was entering an area that was doubtful from the beginning. My second mistake was continuing, not doing a 180, as soon as I saw the lightning. My training and limited past experience in actual IFR conditions enabled me to handle the airplane with no problem. However, the big shortcoming of my training and from everything I read and hear that of most instrument pilots was not having much actual experience in recognizing and dealing with WX. I have heard most IFR training described as 'approach training'. We get good at flying approachs, but get very little exposure to dealing with actual WX either en route or on approach. That was certainly true of mine. However, I still knew enough from my training to be leary of such a scenerio, and in retrospect I should not have flown on through a suspicious area. The altitude deviation probably was not a big deal. However, the WX could have been.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ENCOUNTERS TWRING CUMULUS. ENTERS, HAS ALT DEV.

Narrative: WE WERE IN CRUISE FLT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM BUFFALO TO ALBANY AT 9000 FT. WE WERE JUST ABOVE THE CLOUD DECK IN VFR CONDITIONS WHEN IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT WE WERE GOING TO ENTER A 'CELL' OF DARK CLOUDS THAT EXTENDED UP TO 12000 FT OR SO. IT APPEARED THAT WE COULD GET AROUND THE AREA BY DIVERTING A FEW MI TO THE N, BUT THE AREA DIDN'T HAVE WHAT I HAD LEARNED TO BE THE TYPICAL APPEARANCE OF A TSTM CELL. I THOUGHT SERIOUSLY ABOUT REQUESTING A DEV AROUND IT, BUT DECIDED TO GO ON THROUGH. MISTAKE! NOT A BIG ONE, BUT NEVERTHELESS A MISTAKE. AS SOON AS WE ENTERED THE CLOUDS IT WAS MUCH DARKER THAN I EXPECTED, AND WE COULD SEE A FEW FAINT FLASHES OF LIGHTENING OFF TO THE N. WE ENCOUNTERED MODERATE RAIN AND SLIGHT TURB BUT, WHEN ASKED BY ROCHESTER APCH HOW THE RIDE WAS, OUR REPLY WAS 'NOT BAD.' WE THEN FLEW INTO A MUCH LIGHTER AREA OF CLOUDS AND I THOUGHT WE WERE THROUGH THE CELL. HOWEVER, WE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ENTERED A SECOND DARK AREA, AGAIN ENCOUNTERED MODERATE RAIN, THEN MODERATE TURB THAT WAS CERTAINLY UNCOMFORTABLE, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY, FOR BOTH MYSELF AND MY PAXS. OUR ALT WENT +/- 200 FT OF OUR ASSIGNED ALT A NUMBER OF TIMES AND SUDDENLY WE WERE 500 FT HIGH. IT ONLY TOOK A FEW SECONDS TO GET BACK DOWN TO 9000 FT BUT WE WERE DEFINITELY OUT OF THE ENVELOPE FOR A FEW SECONDS. SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE WERE THROUGH THE CELL AND BACK IN VFR CONDITIONS. MY OBVIOUS MISTAKE WAS ENTERING AN AREA THAT WAS DOUBTFUL FROM THE BEGINNING. MY SECOND MISTAKE WAS CONTINUING, NOT DOING A 180, AS SOON AS I SAW THE LIGHTNING. MY TRAINING AND LIMITED PAST EXPERIENCE IN ACTUAL IFR CONDITIONS ENABLED ME TO HANDLE THE AIRPLANE WITH NO PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE BIG SHORTCOMING OF MY TRAINING AND FROM EVERYTHING I READ AND HEAR THAT OF MOST INST PLTS WAS NOT HAVING MUCH ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IN RECOGNIZING AND DEALING WITH WX. I HAVE HEARD MOST IFR TRAINING DESCRIBED AS 'APCH TRAINING'. WE GET GOOD AT FLYING APCHS, BUT GET VERY LITTLE EXPOSURE TO DEALING WITH ACTUAL WX EITHER ENRTE OR ON APCH. THAT WAS CERTAINLY TRUE OF MINE. HOWEVER, I STILL KNEW ENOUGH FROM MY TRAINING TO BE LEARY OF SUCH A SCENERIO, AND IN RETROSPECT I SHOULD NOT HAVE FLOWN ON THROUGH A SUSPICIOUS AREA. THE ALT DEV PROBABLY WAS NOT A BIG DEAL. HOWEVER, THE WX COULD HAVE BEEN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.