AN ACR ACFT ON APCH VECTORS ENTERED EXTREME TURBULENCE WITH 80 KT SPD FLUCTUATIONS; LOST COM WITH ATC AND WERE UNABLE TO CTL THE ACFT.

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THE CAPT AND I WERE HOLDING JUST OUTSIDE ZZZ1 WAITING FOR THE FIELD TO CLR OF TSTMS. AN ACR X FLT WAS VECTORED IN FIRST AND EXPERIENCED EXTREME TURB. WE THEN FOLLOWED THE ACR X FLT AS THEY WERE LEAVING TO STAY CLR OF THE TURB AND WERE ASSIGNED A HDG. AFTER BEING VECTORED FOR SEVERAL MORE MINS; OUR FUEL WAS RUNNING LOW AND WE DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL. WE THEN BECAME #1 AND WERE GIVEN A VECTOR THAT TOOK US INTO THE DIRECTION OF A CELL. WE DEVIATED THEN EXPERIENCED SOME TURB. AFTER ANOTHER VECTOR WE THEN BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE TURB TO THE POINT WHERE MAINTAINING SPD AND ALT BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE TURB GOT TO THE POINT WHERE THE CAPT AND I WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE COULD TO KEEP THE ACFT UPRIGHT. DURING THIS PHASE; WE HAD IN FULL PWR AND WERE ATTEMPTING TO CLB AFTER DSNDING 2000 FT AND THE ACFT WOULD STILL NOT RESPOND. THE TURB WAS SO VIOLENT THAT WE BOTH HAD DIFFICULTY READING OUR INSTS. AT ONE POINT WE WERE EXPERIENCING SPD CHANGES OVER 80 KTS WITHIN SECONDS. AT 2000 FT WE THEN RECEIVED A TA THEN IMMEDIATELY AN RA TELLING US TO DSND; WHICH THE CAPT DID IMMEDIATELY. AT NO POINT WERE WE CLR OF WHERE THE ACFT WAS. ALL WE HAD TO GO ON WAS THE RA. AFTER RECOVERING FROM THE RA AND AFTER THE ACFT STABILIZED WE BEGAN A CLB TO 10000 FT. AT THIS POINT WE WERE NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC; WE WERE FOCUSED ON GETTING OUT OF THE WX; AND AWAY FROM THE GND. CLOSE TO 10000 FT WHEN WE KNEW WE WERE CLR; WE CONTACTED ATC IMMEDIATELY THEN THEY CLRED US TO 16000 FT AND VECTORED US TO ZZZ2 WHERE WE MADE A SAFE LNDG. AT THIS POINT 16 PAX DECIDED TO GET OFF THE AIRPLANE WITH POLICE ESCORTING THEM OFF THE FIELD. SOME OF THESE 16 WERE GOING TO ZZZ2 AND JUST WANTED TO SKIP GOING BACK TO ZZZ1. SOME OF THE 16 WERE SIMPLY SCARED AND DIDN'T WANT TO EXPERIENCE THAT LEVEL OF TURB AGAIN. AFTER RECEIVING MORE FUEL AND DOING OUR PAPERWORK; WE THEN WENT TO ZZZ1 WITH NO PROBS. THE EVENT OCCURRED JUST OUTSIDE OF A CELL BUT NOT INSIDE IT. I DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED OUTSIDE STAYING FARTHER AWAY FROM THE WX; WHICH AT THE TIME WE BELIEVED WE WERE. THE RA OCCURRED BECAUSE WE SIMPLY DID NOT HAVE TOTAL CTL OVER THE ACFT. BECAUSE OF THE WX WE DIDN'T HAVE CTL OVER THE ALT OR ATTITUDE OR SPD. WE WERE SO FOCUSED ON TRYING TO SAVE THE ACFT; THE TA AND RA CAME UNEXPECTEDLY.