CORPORATE PLT MAKES A DELAYED BUT GOOD DECISION AFTER MISSED APCH IN DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ACCOUNT TSTM ACTIVITY.

Narrative

WHILE INBOUND FROM THE S TO MY DEST ARPT I WAS WATCHING A LARGE CELL ABOUT 3 MI N; SLIGHTLY NE OF THE ARPT THAT HAD THE 4TH COLOR ON MY RADAR BRIGHTLY ILLUMINATED. I CALLED UNICOM AND ASKED FOR THE ALTIMETER AND THE FIELD CONDITIONS. HE GAVE ME THE ALTIMETER AND SAID THE WIND WAS OUT OF THE N ABOUT 30 AND IT IS DARK BUT NOT RAINING. CTR CLRED ME FOR THE NDB 35 APCH. COMING FROM THE S I WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED INBOUND. THE NDB IS ON THE FIELD; I DID NOT WANT TO FLY OVER THE FIELD AND GO BACK OUTBOUND; SO I ASKED CTR TO VERIFY I WAS WITHIN 10 MI AND WANTED THE STRAIGHT IN; SHE REPLIED 8.6; SO I STARTED TO LET DOWN TO THE MDA. MY ACFT IS EQUIPPED WITH VLF SO I KNEW HOW FAR FROM THE ARPT I WAS. THE RIDE WAS SMOOTH UNTIL I WAS 3.4 MI OUT AT WHICH POINT IT GOT VERY DARK AND ENCOUNTERED TURB AND AIRSPD LOSS. TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THESE FACTORS AND THE LEVEL 4 OR 5 TSTM N OF THE FIELD; I DECIDED THAT A LNDG SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED AND IT WOULD NOT BE SAFE TO CONTINUE INBOUND ON THE APCH; SO I WENT MISSED IN VMC CONDITIONS. THE MISSED APCH IS HOLDING OVER THE BEACON ON THE INBOUND COURSE. DUE TO THE WX I COULD NOT AND DID NOT WANT TO HOLD OVER THE BEACON SO I CLBED TO THE PUBLISHED ALT ON THE MISSED APCH AND MADE MY HOLDING S OF THE BEACON ON THE INBOUND COURSE BUT REMAINED WITHIN 10 MI. I ADVISED CTR THAT I DID NOT WANT TO HOLD OVER THE BEACON. IN THE MEANTIME SHE WORKED ME OUT A CLRNC TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT. I CONTINUED INBOUND AS LONG AS IT WAS SMOOTH. I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS OK TO MAKE A STRAIGHT APCH WITHOUT BEING VECTORED TO FINAL. I ALSO KNEW THAT YOU SHOULD NOT GO MISSED UNTIL THE MISSED APCH AND FLY THE PUBLISHED MISSED. DUE TO WX IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SAFE. I SHOULD NEVER HAVE ATTEMPTED AN APCH AND LNDG WITH A TSTM THAT CLOSE TO THE ARPT.