A GA PLT WATCHES AN MD80; SUPER 80; PASS BY THEN TURN AND DSND ACROSS HIS PATH; AS IT SET UP FOR AN APCH TO CLE; THEN HIT ITS WAKE. THE PLT SAID THAT HE WAS NOT INJURED WHEN HE BUMPED HIS HEAD ON THE CEILING; BUT THE COCKPIT WAS A MESS WITH CHARTS AND EQUIP SCATTERED ABOUT. PA46. MD80; SUPER 80.

Narrative

LEVELED AT 6000 FT MSL PER CLE DEP INSTRUCTIONS. INFORMED OF TFC BY CLE; OVERTAKING FROM 7 O'CLOCK AND DSNDING TO 7000 FT MSL. VISUALLY PICKED UP THE TFC; AN ACR MD80; AND RPTED TO CLE. CLE INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION; NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN. MD80 WAS OBSERVED TO PASS OFF MY L WING AND PROCEED AHEAD AND PARALLEL TO MY FLT PATH. AS THE MD80 PASSED; I NOTED WITH FASCINATION CONTRAILS BEING FORMED BY BOTH WINGS; APPROX 1/2 WAY OUT FROM THE FUSELAGE. I FIGURED THESE TO HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY AN APCH FLAP SETTING. THE MD80 PROCEEDED ABOUT 6 NM AHEAD OF MY POS AND MADE A R TURN (APPROX N HDG) AND CROSSED MY PROJECTED FLT PATH. THE MD80 THEN MADE A SECOND R TURN BACK TOWARDS CLE (PROBABLY FOR THE RWY 5R/L APCH TO CLE) AND PASSED ME ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. AT THIS POINT; I WAS ENJOYING THE VIEW OF THIS AIRLINER AS THE SUN REFLECTED OFF ITS ALUMINUM SKIN. I WAS NOT CONSIDERING WAKE TURB. APPROX 3 MINS AFTER THE MD80 AND I PASSED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION; MY MALIBU FLEW INTO TURB WHICH COULD BE BEST DESCRIBED AS THIS: AN INVISIBLE HAND GRABBING THE ACFT AND GIVING IT 1 FORCEFUL; BUT NOT VIOLENT; SHAKE IN THE VERT PLANE. OBJECTS IN THE CABIN WERE DISLODGED AND I STRUCK MY HEAD AGAINST THE CABIN CEILING. YET; AS SOON AS THE ENCOUNTER HAPPENED; IT WAS OVER AND THE MALIBU WAS RIGHT BACK TO FLYING SMOOTHLY AND SERENELY. I HAVE THEORIZED THAT I HAD FLOWN INTO WINGTIP VORTICES WHICH HAD MERGED INTO 1 VORTEX IN THE WAKE OF THE MD80. THIS MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THE SINGLE 'SHAKE' OF TURB. FURTHERMORE; THERE WAS NO NOTICEABLE ROLLING MOTION IN THE EVENT; ONLY A VERT DISPLACEMENT. I ACCOUNT THIS TO THE FACT THAT I PROBABLY FLEW INTO THE VORTEX AT NEARLY A 90 DEG ANGLE. THE INITIAL SIGHT OF THE TRAILING VORTICES AND THE XING OF MY FLT PATH SHOULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE POTENTIAL FOR TURB. I PERMITTED MYSELF TO BE LESS OBSERVANT OF THE FLT CONDITIONS WHILE ADMIRING THE MD80. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS PIPER MALIBU PLT SAID THAT HE IS TO BLAME BECAUSE HE KNEW ABOUT WAKE TURB; BUT HE JUST HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE PHENOMENON IN A CRUISE ENVIRONMENT. THERE WAS; HE SAID; AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT A WAKE WAS BEING GENERATED AS THE MD80; SUPER 80; PASSED HIM; BUT HE WAS SIMPLY WATCHING THE ACFT WITHOUT REALIZING WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.