A PA28 PLT DSNDS NEAR TERRAIN WHEN HE MISINTERPRETS HIS CLRNC. THE ALERT APCH CTLR SAVES HIM FROM TERRAIN IN THE AREA. REF ACN 384695.

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WHILE IMC HALFWAY TOWARDS THE DEST (TOTAL FLT OF 120 MI) I ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN ALT AND ATTITUDE. AT SOME POINT THE ACFT DSNDED APPROX 700 FT FROM THE ASSIGNED ALT. ATC INFORMED ME OF THE ASSIGNED ALT AND I REPLIED THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN ALT DUE TO TURB. I THEN ASKED TO LAND AT A NEARBY ARPT INSTEAD OF THE PLANNED DEST. I HAD ALSO ASKED ABOUT WHAT THE ATC RADAR WAS PAINTING AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS LEVEL 3 PRECIPITATION IN THE AREA; AND THAT A HDG OF 090 DEGS WOULD GET THE ACFT OUT OF IT. I TURNED TOWARDS THAT HEADING; THEN WAS GIVEN A DIFFERENT HEADING TOWARDS THE ARPT FOR THE APCH. I WAS CLRED FIRST DOWN TO 4000 FT. THEN WAS CLRED DOWN TO 2000 FT. I HEARD 'DSND TO 2000 FT;' AND READ BACK TO THE CTLR; 'DSND TO 2000 FT.' SOON AFTER REACHING 2000 FT THE CTLR CALLED AND SAID; 'CLB IMMEDIATELY; CLB IMMEDIATELY. ALT ALERT; CLB TO 2500 FT.' DUE TO THE TURB AND DOWNDRAFTS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CLB AND THE CTLR REPEATED A SIMILAR WARNING BEFORE I WAS UP TO 2500 FT. I BELIEVE THE CTLR WAS MISTAKEN WHEN HE ISSUED THE CLRNC TO DSND TO 2000 FT. I AM SURE THAT I READ BACK 2000 FT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TERRAIN WAS IN THE AREA; HOWEVER I KNOW THAT THERE IS SOME TERRAIN IN THAT GENERAL AREA THAT IS NEAR THIS ALT. I BELIEVE THAT THE TURB DUE TO THE SEVERE WX; COMBINED WITH THE CTLR MISCOM LED TO THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SIT.