Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 90; Flight Crew Total 3800; Flight Crew Type 300
Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
I departed HMP (HENRY COUNTY; GA) on an IFR flight to ZZZZ. I was the Single Pilot Captain on Aircraft X; with 2 passengers on board; both seated in the forward facing seats. I was given a clearance to enter controlled airspace on a 180 degree heading and 3;000 feet. After I was identified by the Controller; I was given 2 more climbs and was instructed to climb and maintain 10;000 feet on a 010 heading. As soon as I leveled off and was on the heading of 010 I notified the Controller that I needed either a left or right deviation for a storm; my first call may have been blocked or missed; and the frequency was very busy considering my location was almost over ATL airport. My second request was heard and I was told I could not turn; I then asked to climb and was told to maintain 10;000 and not able to climb. My onboard radar was showing a large area about 3-5 miles in width about 10 miles and closing; I slowed down to try and get a break in the frequency chatter but I was now within 3 miles and only seconds away from going directly into the storm. The last call I said; Aircraft X I NEED A TURN NOW! The Controller replied with a left turn to 360; however a 10 degree turn at such a close distance only made me penetrate the cell on the west side of the red return on my radar; I also displayed the same cell on my Nexrad radar which is less accurate but was depicted on public available radar. Once I entered the cell I immediately was feeling the gravity of being thrust up in altitude at a very rapid rate. The rate was significant enough to kick off the auto pilot and cause my airspeed to drop from 200 knots indicated to the very bottom of safe airspeed before entering a stall. I was hearing the audible alerts for both; auto pilot disconnect and 'increase speed; increase speed' and then the altitude warning because the updraft pushed the aircraft up to 11;200 feet and a nose up attitude which remained even with downward forward pressure that I was inputting with the flight controls; I had to add full power and try to hold the nose down to regain airspeed and avoid a stall. I then had another challenge to deal with all while still hearing the audibles for 'increase speed; increase speed; altitude; altitude; auto pilot; auto pilot' and that was the right wing was at a steep bank angle due to being on the outer edge of the updraft and dangerously close to a wing over; stall. To add another challenge; I was now the subject of attention of the Air Traffic Controller who was urgently stating Aircraft X descend to 10;000 feet and he had traffic at 13;000 feet. I had to focus on flying the airplane first in IMC; heavy rain; and a really strong updraft; with decayed airspeed and aircraft handling which was decayed and not descending due to the lifting force we were on top of. My only reference to the aircrafts position was my instruments as I had zero contact with the ground. Once I was able to increase the speed and get back to 10;000 feet I was able to silence all of the alerts and reengage the auto pilot at 10;000 feet. This event happened very quickly and was over in an estimated 30 seconds. So; to be clear; the altitude increase was not caused by the pilot climbing or changing the altitude setting; but was an uncontrollable result of entering the updraft portion of a developing thunderstorm. It was the actions of the pilot that corrected the gain in altitude and returned it to the assigned altitude of 10;000 feet. It was also the pilot's corrective action that recovered the loss of airspeed and avoided a complete loss of control which was seconds from reality. Once I was able to speak back to the Controller he advised me he had a telephone number to contact in reference to pilot deviation. I was unable to immediately write the number down because I now found myself looking at another thunderstorm in front of me and just slightly off my right nose. I cleared that cell by just about a 1/4 mile if even that far; and was handed off to anothercontroller. I took 2 photos with my camera phone of the cell that I had just came out of and the second one that I narrowly missed while the Controller was asking me to write a phone number. I understand that controllers in Atlanta are very busy; and as far as I am concerned are the best in the world. My only question is why was I given a turn to 010 at 10;000 feet that put me directly in line to fly through the center of a line of storms that was almost due north of my departure airport HMP and both the area north west and north east of HMP was clear of any radar depicted storms. It seems it would have made more sense to take me to either side of ATL on this day due to the storms that were sitting on top of the corridor over ATL. Had the clearance been given in either direction other than 010 or 360 I would have never been anywhere close to the small line of storms. To make our controllers more effective with handling aircraft in already busy airspace; but made busier when storms are present; I would suggest not sending aircraft through the corridor if it is filled with storms. Furthermore when a pilot has already made two request and his third is stated like mine was; declaring I need a turn NOW! Closer attention should be paid to accommodate him or her. We all agree that aircraft with onboard radar have a better picture of what is in front of him; and the reply from the controller should not be that they don't see anything. To help controllers avoid sending pilots to an uncertain outcome; especially over the world's busiest airport; I will ask from now on; to please send departures or arrivals of satellite airports around ATL that I am in charge of; not over the top unless it is clear of storms. In an already condensed; crowed airspace it is a challenge to separate aircraft; add in a line of storms and every pilot asking for a deviation; and busy airspace just became dangerous airspace. I request to just fly around the airspace and add another 5 minutes to my trip; anything to avoid a developing; rising storm.
Small Transport Captain reported ATC refusal for weather diversion resulting in severe altitude gain; airspeed loss; and loss of aircraft control.