SMA CALLS TRACON AFTER DEP FROM ARPT BENEATH TCA. LEVELS OFF 5 FT BELOW TCA FLOOR. IN TURB; HE ENDS UP AT 1900 FT; INSIDE TCA.

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ON THE DAY IN QUESTION; I HAD FLOWN TO KISSIMMEE ARPT WITH MY SON-IN-LAW TO PICK UP MY SMALL GRANDSON. WE ARRIVED AT PM30; GOOD FLYING WX. WE SPENT ABOUT 2.5 HRS WITH HIM. I NOTICED THE WX STARTING TO TURN BAD; LIGHT RAIN; SO I DECIDED TO RETURN HOME TO FT LAUDERDALE. WE TOOK OFF USING RWY 33. USING UNICOM; I CALLED MY INTENTIONS AS TO DEP. TURNING SE; DOWNWIND LEG AND STILL CLBING; I TUNED NAV TO 119.4 AND CALLED ORLANDO DEP TELLING HIM OF MY DEP AND MY INTENDED DEST. I LEVELED OFF AT 1495 FT AND CONTINUED ON MY HDG. ATC THEN CAME BACK AND GAVE ME TRANSPONDER CODE; WHICH I ENTERED. BY THIS TIME; THE AIR BECAME VERY TURBULENT; THE PLANE WAS ALL OVER AND VERY HARD TO KEEP ON COURSE AND LEVEL; NOT MUCH RAIN; BUT VERY UNSTABLE AIR CONDITIONS; VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 5 MI; CEILING WAS; I ESTIMATE; ABOUT 3000 FT. AFTER TALKING TO OTHER PLANES; ATC CAME BACK TO ME AND SAID RADAR CONTACT 1 1/2 MI SE OF KISSIMMEE. HE THEN SAID; YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED THE TCA WITHOUT APPROVAL? I WAS STUNNED. I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EARS. HE CAME BACK AND SAID; DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? STILL IN SHOCK; I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I HEARD HIM AND SAID SIR; I CALLED YOU AS FAST AS I COULD (THINKING TO MYSELF THAT WHEN DEPARTING KISSIMMEE ARPT I DIDN'T CALL FAST ENOUGH). HE THEN SAID; YOU CAN ENTER AN ARSA WITH FIRST RADIO CONTACT; BUT NOT A TCA. I ACKNOWLEDGED HIM. BY THIS TIME MY MIND WAS REALLY RACING. WHAT DOES HE MEAN? DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT I TOOK OFF FROM KISSIMMEE ARPT? I AM ALREADY IN TCA; I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. IT WAS THEN THAT I LOOKED AT MY ALT -- THERE IT WAS; A LITTLE OVER 1900 FT; WITH ALL THE TURB; MY PLANE HAD GAINED ALMOST 450 FT. THE SECTION OF THE TCA I WAS IN HAD A BASE OF 1500. HE WAS RIGHT; I HAD INADVERTENTLY PENETRATED THE BASE OF TCA. I FELT SICK ALL OVER. AFTER 21 YRS OF SAFE FLYING AND TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING BY THE BOOK AND REGS; THIS TO ME WAS DEVASTATING. VERY MUCH SHAKEN UP; I CONTINUED ON AT 2000 FT; WITH PERMISSION FROM ATC. BY THIS TIME I WAS IN THE SECTION OF TCA WHERE THE BASE IS 3000 FT. NOW; R IN FRONT OF ME; ON MY PRESENT HDG WAS THIS LOW; DARK CLOUD. AGAIN; I DID SOMETHING THAT; WITH A CLR MIND; I WOULD NEVER THINK OF DOING WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM ATC -- I LOWERED NOSE AND WENT DOWN TO 1500 FT TO CLR CLOUD. ATC CALLED ME (IN A KINDER VOICE THIS TIME) AND SAID HE NOTICED THAT I WENT TO 1500 FT; WAS EVERYTHING OK? I TRIED TO APPEAR AS CALM AS I COULD AND TOLD HIM I DID SO TO CLR CLOUD WITHOUT ENTERING IT. HE ACKNOWLEDGED. THE REST OF TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHEN LEAVING THE TCA; HE TOLD ME RADAR SVC TERMINATED; AND THAT I SHOULD CONTINUE ON PRESENT HDG AND WOULD BE CLR OF WX IN ABOUT 15 MI. I THANKED HIM AND CONTINUED TO MY DEST; FT LAUDERDALE; WHERE; BY THE WAY; THE WX WAS PERFECT. AS I WRITE THIS RPT; I KEEP THINKING OF HOW I COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SITUATION FROM EVER HAPPENING. IT'S TRUE; IT WAS NOT THE BEST KIND OF WX FOR FLYING; LIGHT RAIN AND VERY TURBULENT UPDRAFTS AND DOWNDRAFTS; BUT; WHEN I LEVELED OFF; THE SITUATION BEING WHAT IT WAS; I SHOULD HAVE KEPT PLANE AT THAT ALT. IN TURBULENT AIR; IT IS VERY EASY TO GAIN OR LOSE ALT VERY FAST. I SHOULD HAVE KEPT CLOSER WATCH ON ALT; SHOULDN'T HAVE LET IT GET AWAY FROM ME. SAD TO SAY; IT DID HAPPEN; AND WHEN IT HAPPENED; I SHOULD HAVE KEPT MY COMPOSURE EVEN THOUGH IT REALLY SHOCKED ME. FROM NOW ON; YOU CAN BE SURE I WILL KEEP A CLOSER WATCH ON MY ALT IN CTLED AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK TO COUNSEL REF ATC USING FLOOR OF TCA AS ASSIGNED ALT. RPTR ASKED HOW MUCH CLRNC ANALYST WOULD RECOMMEND. WHEN 500 FT WAS INDICATED; HE RESPONDED; 'OH; THAT MUCH?' YES; THAT MUCH. HE WAS QUITE ANNOYED AT HIMSELF; SAID HE FELT LIKE A STUDENT PLT AT THAT MOMENT. WX WAS SO EXTREME WITH BUILDUPS IN ALL DIRECTIONS. WHEN HE LOOKED BACK TO TURN AROUND; WX WAS WORSE THAN AHEAD. FEELS HE REALLY LEARNED ON THIS TRIP.