BE1900 MAINTAINING 14000 FT WHEN ENCOUNTERED TURB AND REQUESTED HIGHER ALT. CLRED TO 16000 FT. CAPT CHKING WX ON ANOTHER FREQ. FO; PF; CLBED TO 16800 FT WHEN REALIZED ERROR AND CORRECTED.

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OUR ACFT WAS ORIGINALLY CLRED BY ZOB TO PROCEED DIRECT TO THE MANSFIELD (OHIO) VOR AND TO CLB TO A CRUISE ALT OF 14000 FT MSL. UPON REACHING 14000 FT MSL I CONFIGURED THE ACFT FOR CRUISE FOR OUR ROUTINE FLT TO FORT WAYNE; IN. THE ACFT SOON FLEW INTO AN AREA OF LIGHT TURB; SO IN THE INTEREST OF PAX COMFORT WE REQUESTED A HIGHER ALT WITH ZOB IN HOPES OF A SMOOTHER RIDE ON TOP OF THE CLOUD LAYER. CLEVELAND GRANTED OUR REQUEST AND CLRED US TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 16000 FT MSL. AT THE TIME OF THE CLB; MY CAPT WAS ON ANOTHER RADIO TALKING WITH FLT WATCH ABOUT POSSIBLE WX THAT MAY LAY AHEAD OF US ON OUR RTE. I INITIATED THE CLB FROM 14000 FT AND REALIZED THAT I HAD DEVIATED FROM AN ATC CLRNC WHEN I HAD CLBED TO AN ALT OF 16800 FT; WE WERE CLRED TO 16000 FT. UPON REALIZING MY ERROR I QUICKLY RECOVERED AND DSNDED BACK TO 16000 FT; THE TOTAL TIME OF DEV LASTED NO MORE THAN APPROX 30 SECONDS. I AM A VERY SAFE AND INFORMED PLT; BUT I HAD MADE A MISTAKE THAT COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY PUT THE CREW AND PAX IN A DANGEROUS SIT. FORTUNATELY NOTHING AROSE BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT IN OUR IMMEDIATE VICINITY. SINCE THIS INCIDENT; I HAVE ADAPTED NEW PROCS FOR MYSELF TO HOPEFULLY NEVER REPEAT THIS TYPE OF ACTION. SUCH ACTIONS INCLUDE: 1) ALWAYS VERBALLY ANNOUNCE THE CLRED ALT TO MYSELF AND VISUALLY VERIFY WITH THE ALT SELECTOR. 2) QUERY ATC ANYTIME I HAVE A DOUBT. 3) CLB OUT AT REDUCED RATE WHEN I AM WITHIN 500-1000 FT FROM AN ASSIGNED ALT.