C172 pilot encounters turbulence and receives clearance for block altitude after altitude deviation.

Attributes
ACN	845384
Time
Date	200907
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZOB.ARTCC
State Reference	OH
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30 Flight Crew Total 760 Flight Crew Type 360
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

Was enroute at 9000 feet we entered the clouds. The turbulence and vertical updrafts made it impossible to maintain 9;000 feet MSL. I had requested a block altitude of 8;500 to 9;500MSL and was not told the block altitudes were only in whole numbers; until I was queried to my altitude; which was 9;500MSL and still climbing. My assigned altitude was 9;000 MSL. Only after I asked for the 8;500 to 9;500 again was I told that they could not give me a 2;000 foot block altitude. I accepted 9;000 to 10;000 MSL as my block altitude; and no further incident occurred for the remainder of the flight.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot encounters turbulence and receives clearance for block altitude after altitude deviation.

Narrative: Was enroute at 9000 feet we entered the clouds. The turbulence and vertical updrafts made it impossible to maintain 9;000 feet MSL. I had requested a block altitude of 8;500 to 9;500MSL and was not told the block Altitudes were only in whole numbers; until I was queried to my altitude; which was 9;500MSL and still climbing. My assigned altitude was 9;000 MSL. Only after I asked for the 8;500 to 9;500 again was I told that they could not give me a 2;000 foot block altitude. I accepted 9;000 to 10;000 MSL as my block altitude; and no further incident occurred for the remainder of the flight.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.