Narrative:

In level cruise flight at 9000 ft MSL on a northeasterly heading, I was the PIC and had a passenger who was also a pilot riding with me. We were navigating directly to the bzm VOR en route to lynchburg, va, our home base. At the urging of the FSS briefer, we chose a route that took us around the west side of the charlotte, nc, class B airspace and then northeast to lynchburg. According to the WX specialist, the route was to have been free of convective activity which turned out to be incorrect. As we approached the bzm VOR, a line of convective activity was clearly visible in front of us. I didn't think we could get through the line. We were not equipped with any kind of WX equipment. My passenger, who was a much more experienced pilot, spotted an area that he thought we could get through. At first I was reluctant but, with his continued urging, decided to give it a try. We held course and entered IMC with just some light rain and light turbulence. We continued on at the urging of my passenger. I wanted to turn around, but let the passenger persuade me into going forth. Suddenly, without warning, the sky turned very dark and the rain became very heavy. Then we hit severe turbulence which I believed may have stressed the aircraft. I immediately executed a turn to exit the WX and contacted ATC and asked for 'any help you can give us.' he suggested a 270 degree heading but did not inquire as to the nature of our request. He also made no inquiry into our altitude deviations which were plus or minus 800 ft at that point. I was only able to maintain attitude at that point as the severity of the turbulence caused uncontrollable altdevs. I estimate that we may have strayed off our assigned altitude by as much as 800-900 ft due to the convective activity. Since keeping control of the aircraft was taking both my passenger's and my own efforts, I never reported our altitude fluctuations to ATC. Since the controller never contacted us again to see what the problem was or to question our altitude, I assume he was well aware of our flight conditions and inability to maintain an assigned altitude. Failing to maintain an altitude is a violation of FARS. Failing to report unable to maintain an altitude is also a violation. As we came out of the WX and back level to 9000 ft, we again contacted ATC to advise them of our intentions. Once again the controller never asked about our situation, instead wanting to know what our next intentions were. We diverted to tri-cities regional and landed uneventfully. I can only assume the controller was aware of our situation and took the correct actions. Several things need to be addressed in my opinion: first, the FSS WX briefer was dead wrong and believing him gave me a false sense of security, and I think contributed to my decision to carry on into a deteriorating situation, second, as PIC, I let someone else tell me what to do. I didn't act as the true PIC. I had a chance to keep us out of the situation but let my passenger talk me into pushing on. I should have taken charge and kept us out of the WX to begin with, third, the controller showed little or no concern and wasn't much help in a very bad situation for those of us in the airplane. If he would have asked about our situation, he may have been able to help out tremendously. If he had access to radar he never warned us about what we were headed for. Understandably it isn't a controller's job to keep the pilots out of thunderstorms, but if a controller has access to WX radar, he or she should be required to advise a pilot of what's ahead. As a result of the severe WX conditions that we encountered, we were unable to maintain altitude. As far as I know, no one even noticed and that needs to be corrected.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA SEL LOST CTL OF HIS ACFT DURING HVY TURB WHEN PENETRATING SEVERE TSTMS WX CONDITIONS RESULTING IN ALT EXCURSION FROM ASSIGNED OF UP TO 900 FT LOSS AND GAIN OF ALT.

Narrative: IN LEVEL CRUISE FLT AT 9000 FT MSL ON A NORTHEASTERLY HDG, I WAS THE PIC AND HAD A PAX WHO WAS ALSO A PLT RIDING WITH ME. WE WERE NAVING DIRECTLY TO THE BZM VOR ENRTE TO LYNCHBURG, VA, OUR HOME BASE. AT THE URGING OF THE FSS BRIEFER, WE CHOSE A RTE THAT TOOK US AROUND THE W SIDE OF THE CHARLOTTE, NC, CLASS B AIRSPACE AND THEN NE TO LYNCHBURG. ACCORDING TO THE WX SPECIALIST, THE RTE WAS TO HAVE BEEN FREE OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE INCORRECT. AS WE APCHED THE BZM VOR, A LINE OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WAS CLRLY VISIBLE IN FRONT OF US. I DIDN'T THINK WE COULD GET THROUGH THE LINE. WE WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH ANY KIND OF WX EQUIP. MY PAX, WHO WAS A MUCH MORE EXPERIENCED PLT, SPOTTED AN AREA THAT HE THOUGHT WE COULD GET THROUGH. AT FIRST I WAS RELUCTANT BUT, WITH HIS CONTINUED URGING, DECIDED TO GIVE IT A TRY. WE HELD COURSE AND ENTERED IMC WITH JUST SOME LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT TURB. WE CONTINUED ON AT THE URGING OF MY PAX. I WANTED TO TURN AROUND, BUT LET THE PAX PERSUADE ME INTO GOING FORTH. SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, THE SKY TURNED VERY DARK AND THE RAIN BECAME VERY HVY. THEN WE HIT SEVERE TURB WHICH I BELIEVED MAY HAVE STRESSED THE ACFT. I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A TURN TO EXIT THE WX AND CONTACTED ATC AND ASKED FOR 'ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE US.' HE SUGGESTED A 270 DEG HDG BUT DID NOT INQUIRE AS TO THE NATURE OF OUR REQUEST. HE ALSO MADE NO INQUIRY INTO OUR ALT DEVS WHICH WERE PLUS OR MINUS 800 FT AT THAT POINT. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO MAINTAIN ATTITUDE AT THAT POINT AS THE SEVERITY OF THE TURB CAUSED UNCONTROLLABLE ALTDEVS. I ESTIMATE THAT WE MAY HAVE STRAYED OFF OUR ASSIGNED ALT BY AS MUCH AS 800-900 FT DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. SINCE KEEPING CTL OF THE ACFT WAS TAKING BOTH MY PAX'S AND MY OWN EFFORTS, I NEVER RPTED OUR ALT FLUCTUATIONS TO ATC. SINCE THE CTLR NEVER CONTACTED US AGAIN TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS OR TO QUESTION OUR ALT, I ASSUME HE WAS WELL AWARE OF OUR FLT CONDITIONS AND INABILITY TO MAINTAIN AN ASSIGNED ALT. FAILING TO MAINTAIN AN ALT IS A VIOLATION OF FARS. FAILING TO RPT UNABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ALT IS ALSO A VIOLATION. AS WE CAME OUT OF THE WX AND BACK LEVEL TO 9000 FT, WE AGAIN CONTACTED ATC TO ADVISE THEM OF OUR INTENTIONS. ONCE AGAIN THE CTLR NEVER ASKED ABOUT OUR SIT, INSTEAD WANTING TO KNOW WHAT OUR NEXT INTENTIONS WERE. WE DIVERTED TO TRI-CITIES REGIONAL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THE CTLR WAS AWARE OF OUR SIT AND TOOK THE CORRECT ACTIONS. SEVERAL THINGS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN MY OPINION: FIRST, THE FSS WX BRIEFER WAS DEAD WRONG AND BELIEVING HIM GAVE ME A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY, AND I THINK CONTRIBUTED TO MY DECISION TO CARRY ON INTO A DETERIORATING SIT, SECOND, AS PIC, I LET SOMEONE ELSE TELL ME WHAT TO DO. I DIDN'T ACT AS THE TRUE PIC. I HAD A CHANCE TO KEEP US OUT OF THE SIT BUT LET MY PAX TALK ME INTO PUSHING ON. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CHARGE AND KEPT US OUT OF THE WX TO BEGIN WITH, THIRD, THE CTLR SHOWED LITTLE OR NO CONCERN AND WASN'T MUCH HELP IN A VERY BAD SIT FOR THOSE OF US IN THE AIRPLANE. IF HE WOULD HAVE ASKED ABOUT OUR SIT, HE MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP OUT TREMENDOUSLY. IF HE HAD ACCESS TO RADAR HE NEVER WARNED US ABOUT WHAT WE WERE HEADED FOR. UNDERSTANDABLY IT ISN'T A CTLR'S JOB TO KEEP THE PLTS OUT OF TSTMS, BUT IF A CTLR HAS ACCESS TO WX RADAR, HE OR SHE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ADVISE A PLT OF WHAT'S AHEAD. AS A RESULT OF THE SEVERE WX CONDITIONS THAT WE ENCOUNTERED, WE WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT. AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO ONE EVEN NOTICED AND THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED.

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.