Narrative:

On a return trip from cdn, I had checked WX at XA00 or XB00 in the afternoon and there was some chance of thunderstorms. The tops reports that at that time, under 9000 ft, it would be best to just pop over this area of rain showers and VFR conditions and shorten my route home. We had no trouble until we arrived in the richmond area. I had climbed to 11500 ft and began to have some trouble maintaining VFR. At that time, I called the controller in the richmond sector and he told me he could take me IFR. I decided to go that way, but he turned me towards patuxent. I checked with leesburg radio and they said there was some thunderstorm activity in that area, but he did not have any PIREPS. I called the controller back, concerned about the long routing. The controller said that was the way I had to go. Proceeding in that direction, our flight became continuously more turbulent. Although my passenger were complaining, it did not seem too severe. Approaching patuxent, it appeared that the WX was quite severe. Looking at my storm scope, the thunderstorms were now more behind me than in front. At that time, I was switched over to a washington controller who was busy with a lot of activity. I noted very many of my xmissions were not heard nor responded to during the electrical storm. Many of the objects inside the airplane had been thrown about in severe turbulence. At no time did I feel I was losing control of the aircraft or its ability to fly. I just knew that my concentration was needed during this time of severe turbulence. I had considered turning around except I could not quite get the controller. At one point, the controller told me that it was clear to the east. That seemed to agree with my storm scope. I turned to a heading that would get me clear of the clouds. She seemed continuously busy with other aircraft and requested that I return back to a heading at one point of 270 degrees, which would have just directed me back into the area I had just gone through. At this time, I decided I had a fairly emergent situation and I concentrated on flying the airplane. Suddenly, I was brought into an enormous updraft. In order to maintain a maneuvering speed, I had to allow the plane to go up almost 3000 ft in a little less than 60 seconds. There was not enough chance to really notify the controller. My eyes were glued to the altimeter as I rose to near 15500 ft in just 1-2 mins. My perception of the activity was that we had to pass through the worst of the turbulence and lightning. I was a little concerned about bothering the controller as there had been another aircraft reporting a lightning strike. She asked if that person wanted to declare an emergency. They said no. I was wondering if I should be declaring an emergency because of my altdevs. The controller was requesting maneuvers and changes of attitude and speed that were no consistent with my aircraft performance. I would have gone well past the redline in an attempt to keep the aircraft at altitude by diving during the updrafts. When I was brought down in the downdrafts, there was no way that my airplane could overcome this tremendous downdraft activity. I think at one point I descended again to 12000 ft in just a matter of moments. At this time, I made a very clear decision that I was going to fly the airplane, maintain airspeed and attitude, forget about altitude and heading and get through the worst of the activity. In about 15 mins, I emerged from the other side of the thunderstorm. I spoke to the washington controller about my difficulties with the attitude and altitude due to the severe WX and went on my way. That evening, I called ZDC to talk with the supervisor. He seemed very defensive and stated that the controller was a skilled person and I should have declared an emergency in the setting. To me, there seemed to be a lot of disorganization. The controller should have been calling for assistance during the event and broken down her workload with several other controllers so as to assist in separation and with the emergent situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE35 PLT COMPLAINS WHILE HE WAS FLYING IN TSTMS AND ICING HE DEVIATED FROM HIS ALT DUE TO TURB AND HIS HDG IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID MORE TSTMS. HE FEELS THAT THE CTLRS WERE INSENSITIVE TO HIS ACFT'S LIMITATIONS.

Narrative: ON A RETURN TRIP FROM CDN, I HAD CHKED WX AT XA00 OR XB00 IN THE AFTERNOON AND THERE WAS SOME CHANCE OF TSTMS. THE TOPS RPTS THAT AT THAT TIME, UNDER 9000 FT, IT WOULD BE BEST TO JUST POP OVER THIS AREA OF RAIN SHOWERS AND VFR CONDITIONS AND SHORTEN MY RTE HOME. WE HAD NO TROUBLE UNTIL WE ARRIVED IN THE RICHMOND AREA. I HAD CLBED TO 11500 FT AND BEGAN TO HAVE SOME TROUBLE MAINTAINING VFR. AT THAT TIME, I CALLED THE CTLR IN THE RICHMOND SECTOR AND HE TOLD ME HE COULD TAKE ME IFR. I DECIDED TO GO THAT WAY, BUT HE TURNED ME TOWARDS PATUXENT. I CHKED WITH LEESBURG RADIO AND THEY SAID THERE WAS SOME TSTM ACTIVITY IN THAT AREA, BUT HE DID NOT HAVE ANY PIREPS. I CALLED THE CTLR BACK, CONCERNED ABOUT THE LONG ROUTING. THE CTLR SAID THAT WAS THE WAY I HAD TO GO. PROCEEDING IN THAT DIRECTION, OUR FLT BECAME CONTINUOUSLY MORE TURBULENT. ALTHOUGH MY PAX WERE COMPLAINING, IT DID NOT SEEM TOO SEVERE. APCHING PATUXENT, IT APPEARED THAT THE WX WAS QUITE SEVERE. LOOKING AT MY STORM SCOPE, THE TSTMS WERE NOW MORE BEHIND ME THAN IN FRONT. AT THAT TIME, I WAS SWITCHED OVER TO A WASHINGTON CTLR WHO WAS BUSY WITH A LOT OF ACTIVITY. I NOTED VERY MANY OF MY XMISSIONS WERE NOT HEARD NOR RESPONDED TO DURING THE ELECTRICAL STORM. MANY OF THE OBJECTS INSIDE THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN THROWN ABOUT IN SEVERE TURB. AT NO TIME DID I FEEL I WAS LOSING CTL OF THE ACFT OR ITS ABILITY TO FLY. I JUST KNEW THAT MY CONCENTRATION WAS NEEDED DURING THIS TIME OF SEVERE TURB. I HAD CONSIDERED TURNING AROUND EXCEPT I COULD NOT QUITE GET THE CTLR. AT ONE POINT, THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT IT WAS CLR TO THE E. THAT SEEMED TO AGREE WITH MY STORM SCOPE. I TURNED TO A HDG THAT WOULD GET ME CLR OF THE CLOUDS. SHE SEEMED CONTINUOUSLY BUSY WITH OTHER ACFT AND REQUESTED THAT I RETURN BACK TO A HDG AT ONE POINT OF 270 DEGS, WHICH WOULD HAVE JUST DIRECTED ME BACK INTO THE AREA I HAD JUST GONE THROUGH. AT THIS TIME, I DECIDED I HAD A FAIRLY EMERGENT SIT AND I CONCENTRATED ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE. SUDDENLY, I WAS BROUGHT INTO AN ENORMOUS UPDRAFT. IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A MANEUVERING SPD, I HAD TO ALLOW THE PLANE TO GO UP ALMOST 3000 FT IN A LITTLE LESS THAN 60 SECONDS. THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH CHANCE TO REALLY NOTIFY THE CTLR. MY EYES WERE GLUED TO THE ALTIMETER AS I ROSE TO NEAR 15500 FT IN JUST 1-2 MINS. MY PERCEPTION OF THE ACTIVITY WAS THAT WE HAD TO PASS THROUGH THE WORST OF THE TURB AND LIGHTNING. I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT BOTHERING THE CTLR AS THERE HAD BEEN ANOTHER ACFT RPTING A LIGHTNING STRIKE. SHE ASKED IF THAT PERSON WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER. THEY SAID NO. I WAS WONDERING IF I SHOULD BE DECLARING AN EMER BECAUSE OF MY ALTDEVS. THE CTLR WAS REQUESTING MANEUVERS AND CHANGES OF ATTITUDE AND SPD THAT WERE NO CONSISTENT WITH MY ACFT PERFORMANCE. I WOULD HAVE GONE WELL PAST THE REDLINE IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE ACFT AT ALT BY DIVING DURING THE UPDRAFTS. WHEN I WAS BROUGHT DOWN IN THE DOWNDRAFTS, THERE WAS NO WAY THAT MY AIRPLANE COULD OVERCOME THIS TREMENDOUS DOWNDRAFT ACTIVITY. I THINK AT ONE POINT I DSNDED AGAIN TO 12000 FT IN JUST A MATTER OF MOMENTS. AT THIS TIME, I MADE A VERY CLR DECISION THAT I WAS GOING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE, MAINTAIN AIRSPD AND ATTITUDE, FORGET ABOUT ALT AND HDG AND GET THROUGH THE WORST OF THE ACTIVITY. IN ABOUT 15 MINS, I EMERGED FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TSTM. I SPOKE TO THE WASHINGTON CTLR ABOUT MY DIFFICULTIES WITH THE ATTITUDE AND ALT DUE TO THE SEVERE WX AND WENT ON MY WAY. THAT EVENING, I CALLED ZDC TO TALK WITH THE SUPVR. HE SEEMED VERY DEFENSIVE AND STATED THAT THE CTLR WAS A SKILLED PERSON AND I SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER IN THE SETTING. TO ME, THERE SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF DISORGANIZATION. THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR ASSISTANCE DURING THE EVENT AND BROKEN DOWN HER WORKLOAD WITH SEVERAL OTHER CTLRS SO AS TO ASSIST IN SEPARATION AND WITH THE EMERGENT SIT.

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.