A BE55 CLBING OUT FROM ELP ENCOUNTERS SNOW AND ICING DURING THE CLB TO CRUISE. PLT PANICS AND LOSES CTL OF ACFT BUT REGAINS CTL AFTER A 3000 FT LOSS OF ALT.

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I FIGURED I COULD EASILY AVOID TSTMS USING MY RADAR TO SKIRT THEM AND I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL FOR A SLOW FLT BACK HOME. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE INFAMOUS SNEAKY PLT DISEASE CALLED GET HOMEITIS WAS NIBBLING AT MY BRAIN. AT THE ARPT; I CHKED THE COMPUTERIZED DOPPLER RADAR SVC AGAIN AND WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT MY PLANNED RTE OVER TUCSON WAS COMPLETELY CLR OF ANY RADAR ECHOES. AHA; I THOUGHT; JUST LIKE I PREDICTED LAST NIGHT. THOSE FAA WX BRIEFERS ARE JUST TOO CONSERVATIVE. I MADE THIS MENTAL OBSERVATION EVEN THOUGH THROUGH THE W WINDOW I COULD DISTINCTLY SEE DARK CLOUDS IN THE NEAR DISTANCE. IT NEVER DAWNED ON ME TO QUESTION THE CLR PICTURE I SAW ON THE SCREEN; WHICH NEITHER JIBED WITH THE EARLY MORNING WX BRIEFING NOR WITH WHAT I SAW OUT THE WINDOW. I WAS PRIMED TO GO HOME. AND I SAW ONLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE AND WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE. GET HOMEITIS HAD DEVOURED THE REST OF MY BRAIN CELLS. I TOOK OFF TO THE NW AND WAS SOON CLBING THROUGH CLOUD LAYERS TO MY ASSIGNED ALT OF 14000 FT. A LEVEL 2 TSTM CELL PAINTED MY STRIKEFINDER 50 MI AWAY ON MY RTE AND THE CTLR VECTORED ME TO THE N AROUND THE WX. CLBING THROUGH 9000 FT; I STARTED PICKING UP LIGHT RIME ICE. AT THE SAME TIME; I STARTED TO GET A CERTAIN GUT FEELING THAT HINTED AT THE FACT THAT MAYBE; JUST MAYBE MY DECISION TO LAUNCH WAS NOT WISE. AROUND 12000 FT; I WAS IN SOLID CLOUDS; ICE ACCUMULATION HAD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED. I WAS THINKING MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY ABOUT CALLING THE CTLR AND ASKING FOR THE PROVERBIAL 180 DEG TURN. IN FACT; I WAS REACHING FOR THE MICROPHONE BUTTON TO MAKE THE CALL FOR RETREAT WHEN I WAS STARTLED BY WHITE STUFF SPLASHING ONTO MY WINDSHIELD BY THE BUCKET-LOAD. 'FREEZING RAIN!' WAS MY IMMEDIATE BLOOD-CURDLING THOUGHT. NEVER HAD I SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE IN MY LIMITED WINTER FLYING EXPERIENCE -- AND I PANICKED. IN MY MIND'S EYE; I SAW THE AIRPLANE INSTANTLY ICED UP AND FALLING OUT OF THE SKY LIKE AN ICE BRICK! NO TIME TO TELL THE CTLR ABOUT MY PREDICAMENT. I HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE IMMEDIATELY. IN A PANIC; I THOUGHTLESSLY DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND PUT THE AIRPLANE INTO A 45 DEG BANK; WITHOUT CONCENTRATING ON MY INST SCAN. INSTANTLY; I GOT VERTIGO; LOST CTL OF THE AIRPLANE; AND WATCHED IN DISBELIEF AND BEWILDERED AMAZEMENT AS THE ALTIMETER WOUND DOWN RAPIDLY AND THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR TUMBLED INTO AN UNFAMILIAR ZONE; ONE I COULD NOT DECIPHER. IN A SPLIT SECOND; I WAS THROWN INTO A DEEP UNUSUAL ATTITUDE IN THE CLOUDS. I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHETHER I WAS RIGHT SIDE UP OR UPSIDE DOWN. A SHRIEKING NOISE FILLED THE COCKPIT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING TO ME. A WHOLE TERRIFYING SEQUENCE OF EVENTS RACED THROUGH MY MIND; LIKE SCENES IN AN AIRPLANE DISASTER MOVIE. ALTHOUGH IT PROBABLY TOOK ONLY A FEW SECONDS; IT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY BEFORE I INSTINCTIVELY SLAMMED BACK THE THROTTLES TO IDLE AND LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR. ALL OF A SUDDEN; THE TERRIBLE SHRIEKING SOUND OF THE WIND ENTERING THE COCKPIT STOPPED; AND I FELT LIKE A SKYDIVER WHOSE PARACHUTE HAD JUST OPENED. I HAD A WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FEELING OF PEACEFULLY FLOATING THROUGH THE AIR. WHEN I WOKE FROM THIS TEMPORARY DREAM-LIKE STUPOR AND BEGAN TO CONCENTRATE ON THE INSTS; I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CTL OF THE AIRPLANE. I WAS AT 9000 FT; TERRAIN SOME 4000 FT BELOW WAS VISIBLE THROUGH THE BROKEN CLOUDS. THE CTLR (WHO PROBABLY HAD WATCHED MY FALL ON RADAR) ASKED ME IF I WAS OK. THEN HE HELPED ME RETURN TO EL PASO IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE FBO'S FLT PLANNING ROOM; I NOTICED THE RADAR COMPUTER PLACARD SAID 'INOP.' I WONDERED IF THAT WAS THERE BEFORE I LEFT; OR IF IT HAD BEEN PLACED THERE AFTER I TOOK OFF. I SLOWLY WALKED OUTSIDE WHERE RAIN AND HAIL HAD BEGUN TO PELT THE GND -- AND GRATEFULLY BOARDED THE SHUTTLE VAN BACK TO THE HOTEL. I HOPE I HAVE LEARNED MY 'FATALITY- FREE' LESSON WELL. I KNOW I AM NOW MUCH BETTER AWARE OF MY OWN LIMITATIONS.