PC-12
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 86; Flight Crew Total 2655; Flight Crew Type 835
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter VFR In IMC; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Human Factors; Weather
I departed ZZZ with cloud layers of SCT 032 and BKN 055 and a visibility of 10SM. ZZZ1 had cloud layer of OVC 065. I had not checked the radar for snow showers. I initially leveled off at 5;500 ft. and then descended to 5;000 ft. for better visibility a few miles east of ZZZ. I also turned off my recognition lights to improve my ability to see ground references through the light snow but left my strobes on so I would know if I entered cloud. I could not see the town of ZZZ1 initially; but judged I had at least 10 miles based on ground lights. I noted to myself that I didn't have much of a visual horizon. I then started to see the lights of ZZZ1 at around 20 nm away from ZZZ1 and assumed that the visibility would continue to improve. The next three things happened over a minute or less. I lost sight of ZZZ1 lights and still noted I had ground reference; but that it was less. I looked at the radar and saw green directly in front of my position; indicating snow showers; then looked back outside to make sure I still had ground reference. I then entered cloud and knew so due to the high reflectivity of the strobes. I initiated a turn of about 30 degrees to the left to turn back out of the cloud. I tried a couple times to look back outside to see if I had gained ground reference. On the second time I came back to my instruments I was at a 45 degree bank and nose down. I had lost 200 ft. at that point and decided to continue a steep turn and pull up to regain the altitude. The flight crew riding in the back started to talk to me directly wondering what was going on. I continued the steep turn until I was 180 from my initial course. I then looked up and had the town of ZZZ in sight. I maintained that heading and engaged the auto pilot; as I had been hand flying up to this point. I picked up an IFR clearance to my destination of ZZZ2 and turned back around to my destination. I flew through the snow showers and found 25 plus sm visibility on the other side. I canceled IFR once I was a few miles from ZZZ2 and landed visually.I think a couple of contributing factors to flying into the cloud was not checking the radar before leaving; not turning around or filing IFR even though I was legally VFR. The contributing factor of having an unplanned 45 degree bank nose down was not transitioning fully to the instruments when I initiated a turn back for the full 180 degree turn.
Pilot reported inadvertently entering IMC that resulted in a near loss of control of the aircraft.