INFLT WX ENCOUNTER. RPTR STATES THAT THE RADAR WAS OVERWHELMED BY INTENSE RAIN ACTIVITY AND THEY ENTERED A TSTM WITH RESULTANT LIGHTNING STRIKE PLUS ALTDEV. ACFT DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF TURB AND LIGHTNING.

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ACFT WAS ON CRUISE AT FL180 AND GIVEN PLT'S DISCRETION DSCNT TO 11000 FT. UPON PASSING 16000 FT WAS INSTRUCTED TO STOP DSCNT AT 15000 FT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ATC CLRED US FOR PLT'S DISCRETION DSCNT TO 11000 FT. AT THIS POINT WE PENETRATED A TSTM CELL (OUR RADAR WAS OVERWHELMED BY THE INTENSE RAIN ACTIVITY AROUND US). I (FO) PUNCHED THE CLB BUTTON BY ACCIDENT ON THE AUTOPLT IN AN ATTEMPT TO BEGIN OUR DISCRETIONARY DSCNT TO 11000 FT. TURB WAS MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY SEVERE. WE THEN WERE HIT BY LIGHTNING ONLY MOMENTS AFTER I HIT THE CLB MODE (I AM UNSURE AS TO WHICH HAPPENED FIRST; CLB MODE ACTIVATION OR THE LIGHTNING). WE NOTICED THE ALT CLBING THROUGH 16300 FT AND I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND IMMEDIATELY DSNDED TO 11000 FT MANUALLY. ATC SAID NOTHING OF THE DEV. WE LOST ALL COM WITH ATC BECAUSE OF SEVERE STATIC INTERFERENCE DUE TO FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND ICING ON THE ANTENNAS. WE LATER DISCOVERED THAT THE ANTENNAE TO COM #2 HAD BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY THE LIGHTNING. WE WERE OFF ALT A TOTAL OF APPROX 1 MIN WITH AN ADDITIONAL 30 SECONDS (PERHAPS) TO DSND BACK BELOW 11000 FT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: ON BOARD RADAR BECAME USELESS EARLY IN FLT. PF UNABLE TO SEE PANEL CLRLY DUE TO TURB AND BRIGHT LIGHTNING. PLTS WERE UNABLE TO NOTICE PITCH-UP ATTITUDE OF INITIAL CLB AS ACFT PITCH; ROLL AND YAW WERE CHANGING CONSTANTLY AND DRAMATICALLY. LOSS OF COM ON ALL RADIOS ALONG WITH ICING AND THE INITIATION OF A VISUAL DAMAGE SEARCH FROM THE LIGHTNING (LOOKING OUT THE WINDOWS) ALL CAUSED THE ALTDEV TO GO UNNOTICED FOR A CLB DURATION OF 1300 FT. I DON'T FEEL ATC EVEN HAD GOOD RADAR CONTACT WITH US DUE TO THE EXTREME WX CONDITIONS. NO CONFLICT WITH OTHER ACFT -- NO ONE ELSE STUPID ENOUGH TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR WHERE WE WERE. UPON LNDG IN TLH; WE DISCOVERED MULTIPLE AREAS OF LIGHTNING DAMAGE TO ANTENNAS AND ACFT SKIN. THIS WAS THE FLT FROM HELL. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DENTIST! SENT WITH APOLOGIES FOR POOR HANDWRITING; GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE.