Cheetah; Tiger; Traveler AA5 Series
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 11; Flight Crew Total 1777; Flight Crew Type 1000
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Aircraft; Weather; Human Factors
Flight between BRV VOR and TAPPA Intersection encountered heavy turbulence. [I] deviated to avoid heavy rain and severe updrafts. [I] lost GPS display for unknown reason. [I] should have requested a deviation earlier. Too much reliance on Nexrad Radar probably contributed to the situation.
AA5 pilot reports encountering heavy turbulence at 5;000 FT while attempting to use Nexrad to avoid the worst weather.