Narrative:

I was on an IFR flight plan from mgj (orange county; ny) to pne (northeast philadelphia). When I checked WX at a wsi station in the FBO; there was convective activity over pne as I left; and it was moving north; and it looked easy to bypass to the east; and I had filed to sparta (sax) VOR and solberg VOR (sbj); which should have taken me east of the activity before turning over yardley (ard) VOR and pne. I received a route over huo (huguenot) VOR and fjc (allentown) VOR before heading to ard and pne. This would put me uncomfortably close to activity heading towards fjc; but I knew I could deviate around the WX by talking to the controllers. What I did not take into account is the way the sectoring of the airspace might limit the ability of controllers to easily allow me to deviate around WX. The flight was uneventful at 4000 ft below the cumulus. As I closed in northeast blairstown on V162; I could see the clouds darkening near allentown (abe). I asked what the controller was showing WX-wise; and the intensity. He said there was a lot of rain near abe; but his radar did not show intensity. I had heard other aircraft making approachs and asking for deviations; but they seemed to be heading east ok. I was having trouble assembling a good picture of the WX. I asked to go to flight watch. New york flight watch answered after a few calls and said I would be #5 for service. I could not be off approach that long (he said 4 or 5 mins maximum); so I went back to abe approach and asked for a deviation more to the south; but the controller told me he would turn me in a few mi and lower me to 3000 ft and I should be clear of clouds at that level. That seemed to work; and he gave me about a 210 degree heading and down to 3000 ft. I went on that for a few mi; but it was getting dark ahead; so I asked for a turn to a more southerly heading. He was unable to do that. It was blue to the east and my gut told me to cancel IFR and head east. I should have followed that instinct; but I thought if it scudded up at pne and I needed to shoot an approach it would be easier to stay IFR. Abe handed me off to phl approach; and I asked to go off frequency to flight watch again. I called and got through. They said there was a group of severe thunderstorms between me and pne and my best bet was to go to sbj and to rbv VOR before turning to pne. I went back to phl and asked to deviate towards the east and then on to rbv with a turn to pne when clear. He said unable; but gave me a heading to get me clear of the bulk of the dark area. It still had some rain; and I would be in it where about 3-5 mi or so to the east; it was clear. I asked phl for the rain intensity and he said it was level 1 and level 2 rain showers and I would be out of it after 15 mi and in the clear. A listen to pne ATIS seemed to confirm that; so I took the heading (about 180 degrees). I was in light rain with a few larger drops (which should have been a hint) mixed in figuring I was at least 7 mi or so east of the worst of the rain. I was in for 2 or 3 mins and I saw a bright flash and orange glow in front of the plane. I heard a loud 'boom;' smelled ozone and realized that I was in a bad place. I turned immediately east and told the controller I had just been hit by lightning and I was getting out of there. I scanned the engine instruments and wiggled the controls and everything seemed nominal. He asked if I needed assistance and if I needed to land elsewhere. I was almost directly over sky manor (N40); but the rain was advancing on it. The plane seemed ok in that it was still flying well and the engine and the alternator was still going. I told him I was remaining clear of any rain (well clear) and was planning to go back to pne. He gave me a heading of 120 degrees for a few mi and then he would turn me south and keep me clear of any precipitation. The alternator amp output seemed normal and I went to check the voltage; and I noticed that the GPS was not on. I tried to turn it on; but it was dead. I checked over the breakers and noticed the turn and bank breaker was the only one popped. It was cool to the touch; so I reset it. It stayed in; but the turn and bank was dead. The rest of the flight to pne was uneventfulexcept that when I tuned in and successfully idented the pne VOR; I saw that the navigation #1 indicator was dead; even though the radio seemed fine. Phl also later informed me he lost my transponder when I had called the hit; but pne tower had my mode a; but no mode C. After I landed; I saw that the trailing edge of the propeller had 2 burn pocks; and about a 3 inch section melted off for a millimeter or two. I noticed no odd vibrations in-flight; but a bit of new nosewheel shimmy (perhaps unrelated) on landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT ENCOUNTERS TSTM ACTIVITY WHILE ENRTE; RECEIVES A LIGHTNING STRIKE AND REQUESTS VECTORS.

Narrative: I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM MGJ (ORANGE COUNTY; NY) TO PNE (NE PHILADELPHIA). WHEN I CHKED WX AT A WSI STATION IN THE FBO; THERE WAS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY OVER PNE AS I LEFT; AND IT WAS MOVING N; AND IT LOOKED EASY TO BYPASS TO THE E; AND I HAD FILED TO SPARTA (SAX) VOR AND SOLBERG VOR (SBJ); WHICH SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ME E OF THE ACTIVITY BEFORE TURNING OVER YARDLEY (ARD) VOR AND PNE. I RECEIVED A RTE OVER HUO (HUGUENOT) VOR AND FJC (ALLENTOWN) VOR BEFORE HEADING TO ARD AND PNE. THIS WOULD PUT ME UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO ACTIVITY HEADING TOWARDS FJC; BUT I KNEW I COULD DEVIATE AROUND THE WX BY TALKING TO THE CTLRS. WHAT I DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT IS THE WAY THE SECTORING OF THE AIRSPACE MIGHT LIMIT THE ABILITY OF CTLRS TO EASILY ALLOW ME TO DEVIATE AROUND WX. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL AT 4000 FT BELOW THE CUMULUS. AS I CLOSED IN NE BLAIRSTOWN ON V162; I COULD SEE THE CLOUDS DARKENING NEAR ALLENTOWN (ABE). I ASKED WHAT THE CTLR WAS SHOWING WX-WISE; AND THE INTENSITY. HE SAID THERE WAS A LOT OF RAIN NEAR ABE; BUT HIS RADAR DID NOT SHOW INTENSITY. I HAD HEARD OTHER ACFT MAKING APCHS AND ASKING FOR DEVS; BUT THEY SEEMED TO BE HEADING E OK. I WAS HAVING TROUBLE ASSEMBLING A GOOD PICTURE OF THE WX. I ASKED TO GO TO FLT WATCH. NEW YORK FLT WATCH ANSWERED AFTER A FEW CALLS AND SAID I WOULD BE #5 FOR SVC. I COULD NOT BE OFF APCH THAT LONG (HE SAID 4 OR 5 MINS MAX); SO I WENT BACK TO ABE APCH AND ASKED FOR A DEV MORE TO THE S; BUT THE CTLR TOLD ME HE WOULD TURN ME IN A FEW MI AND LOWER ME TO 3000 FT AND I SHOULD BE CLR OF CLOUDS AT THAT LEVEL. THAT SEEMED TO WORK; AND HE GAVE ME ABOUT A 210 DEG HDG AND DOWN TO 3000 FT. I WENT ON THAT FOR A FEW MI; BUT IT WAS GETTING DARK AHEAD; SO I ASKED FOR A TURN TO A MORE SOUTHERLY HEADING. HE WAS UNABLE TO DO THAT. IT WAS BLUE TO THE E AND MY GUT TOLD ME TO CANCEL IFR AND HEAD E. I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED THAT INSTINCT; BUT I THOUGHT IF IT SCUDDED UP AT PNE AND I NEEDED TO SHOOT AN APCH IT WOULD BE EASIER TO STAY IFR. ABE HANDED ME OFF TO PHL APCH; AND I ASKED TO GO OFF FREQ TO FLT WATCH AGAIN. I CALLED AND GOT THROUGH. THEY SAID THERE WAS A GROUP OF SEVERE TSTMS BTWN ME AND PNE AND MY BEST BET WAS TO GO TO SBJ AND TO RBV VOR BEFORE TURNING TO PNE. I WENT BACK TO PHL AND ASKED TO DEVIATE TOWARDS THE E AND THEN ON TO RBV WITH A TURN TO PNE WHEN CLR. HE SAID UNABLE; BUT GAVE ME A HDG TO GET ME CLR OF THE BULK OF THE DARK AREA. IT STILL HAD SOME RAIN; AND I WOULD BE IN IT WHERE ABOUT 3-5 MI OR SO TO THE E; IT WAS CLR. I ASKED PHL FOR THE RAIN INTENSITY AND HE SAID IT WAS LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2 RAIN SHOWERS AND I WOULD BE OUT OF IT AFTER 15 MI AND IN THE CLR. A LISTEN TO PNE ATIS SEEMED TO CONFIRM THAT; SO I TOOK THE HDG (ABOUT 180 DEGS). I WAS IN LIGHT RAIN WITH A FEW LARGER DROPS (WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HINT) MIXED IN FIGURING I WAS AT LEAST 7 MI OR SO E OF THE WORST OF THE RAIN. I WAS IN FOR 2 OR 3 MINS AND I SAW A BRIGHT FLASH AND ORANGE GLOW IN FRONT OF THE PLANE. I HEARD A LOUD 'BOOM;' SMELLED OZONE AND REALIZED THAT I WAS IN A BAD PLACE. I TURNED IMMEDIATELY E AND TOLD THE CTLR I HAD JUST BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING AND I WAS GETTING OUT OF THERE. I SCANNED THE ENG INSTS AND WIGGLED THE CTLS AND EVERYTHING SEEMED NOMINAL. HE ASKED IF I NEEDED ASSISTANCE AND IF I NEEDED TO LAND ELSEWHERE. I WAS ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER SKY MANOR (N40); BUT THE RAIN WAS ADVANCING ON IT. THE PLANE SEEMED OK IN THAT IT WAS STILL FLYING WELL AND THE ENG AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS STILL GOING. I TOLD HIM I WAS REMAINING CLR OF ANY RAIN (WELL CLR) AND WAS PLANNING TO GO BACK TO PNE. HE GAVE ME A HDG OF 120 DEGS FOR A FEW MI AND THEN HE WOULD TURN ME S AND KEEP ME CLR OF ANY PRECIP. THE ALTERNATOR AMP OUTPUT SEEMED NORMAL AND I WENT TO CHK THE VOLTAGE; AND I NOTICED THAT THE GPS WAS NOT ON. I TRIED TO TURN IT ON; BUT IT WAS DEAD. I CHKED OVER THE BREAKERS AND NOTICED THE TURN AND BANK BREAKER WAS THE ONLY ONE POPPED. IT WAS COOL TO THE TOUCH; SO I RESET IT. IT STAYED IN; BUT THE TURN AND BANK WAS DEAD. THE REST OF THE FLT TO PNE WAS UNEVENTFULEXCEPT THAT WHEN I TUNED IN AND SUCCESSFULLY IDENTED THE PNE VOR; I SAW THAT THE NAV #1 INDICATOR WAS DEAD; EVEN THOUGH THE RADIO SEEMED FINE. PHL ALSO LATER INFORMED ME HE LOST MY XPONDER WHEN I HAD CALLED THE HIT; BUT PNE TWR HAD MY MODE A; BUT NO MODE C. AFTER I LANDED; I SAW THAT THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE PROP HAD 2 BURN POCKS; AND ABOUT A 3 INCH SECTION MELTED OFF FOR A MILLIMETER OR TWO. I NOTICED NO ODD VIBRATIONS INFLT; BUT A BIT OF NEW NOSEWHEEL SHIMMY (PERHAPS UNRELATED) ON LNDG.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.