Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 64; Flight Crew Total 228; Flight Crew Type 228
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Workload; Situational Awareness; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure; Weather; Human Factors
I was flying along in IMC at 5000 ft. I entered a cloud and it immediately started to rain and I started to experience choppy air that started to bounce us around a little bit. A few seconds later I noted that my VSI started to indicate a 1500 ft. per minute descent. The plane started to veer to the right and the airspeed indicator went from 120 mph to over 140 mph with no input from myself. I started to feel that the airplane was falling out of the sky. Since I was in IMC I began to say to myself trust your instruments because my body was feeling something was very wrong and I started to repeat that phrase 'trust your instruments' about 7 or 8 times. I got the plane back to level flight according to my attitude indicator and turn and slip indicator but the plane was showing a 1500 ft. per minute descent and while I was holding the plane straight and level it then went to a 1500 ft. per minute climb. My airspeed went back to normal at 120 mph but the vertical speed indicator then went from a 1500 climb to a 1500 ft. descent.At that point ATC called and advised me to check my altitude looking at my altimeter from the cockpit footage it shows that I had lost 300 ft. in a matter of a few moments. When ATC called I advised them that 'this cloud has me in a spin can I go lower and have 3000 ft.' They stated negative due to traffic and that I was IFR and I needed to maintain 5000 all while fighting the plane to stay straight and level. I was looking at my instruments and the plane was beginning to lose more altitude. ATC advised that I needed to maintain 5000.They then advised that I can't dodge the clouds I need to stay at 5000 ft. I was still fighting to recover the plane. I was just trying to fly the plane and wasn't really focusing on what to say to ATC and I should have stated that I was unable to maintain and that I was in a downdraft but in the moment I had no idea what was happening.When ATC advised for me to copy down a number I knew that something had really happened that was wrong and that I was going to be in trouble because I was unable to control the plane in such harsh conditions. Once we landed in ZZZ I called the ATC and gave them my pilot credentials and my side of the situation. He advised that if I am experiencing any issues I should have been more vocal but I was in a state of just aviate [so] I could [not] think about communications correctly. After the flight my passenger told me that the plane felt like it was falling out the sky backwards and that it was the wildest thing he has felt in his 26 years of flying. After the flight we reviewed the [video] footage from inside the plane and ATC audio that was captured by the [video] and we saw the telltale signs of a severe downdrafts or a microburst.
C172 pilot reported loss of control while in up and downdrafts flying through clouds.