Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 2 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 70; Flight Crew Total 1100; Flight Crew Type 5000
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Weather
I wanted to refuse a routing clearance due to weather. Was direct KDPA; and Center changed my clearance to RST V117 JOT then Direct KDPA.Thunderstorms were building in the area of the JOT VOR and in the interest of safety I did not want to accept the clearance. Chicago Center threatened me with a pilot deviation if I didn't accept the clearance and being intimidated by the threat I accepted the clearance.Later got the route changed by Rochester Approach but if I would have lost communication and flew over the JOT VOR there would have been a thunderstorm over the JOT VOR when I arrived in DPA.
The pilot initially refused a clearance from Chicago Center for weather; but he was convinced to accept it and later was able to deviate with Rochester Approach.