DEVIATING AREA OF HEAVY TSTMS SMA ACFT ENTERED MOA.

Narrative

UNEVENTFUL IFR FLT FROM STL TO MUSCLE SHOALS THEN VERY RAPIDLY DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS WITH SEVERE CONDITIONS SUDDENLY SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE AREA. THE CTLR ATTEMPTED TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE. THE FIRST GAVE PERMISSION TO DEVIATE AS NECESSARY. I TRIED TO AVOID THE WORST OF THE TSTMS BUT SOON ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB; HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL. I ATTEMPTED TO FLY OUT OF THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS WHICH MADE CONTROL OF THE ACFT DIFFICULT. I HAD TOLD THE CTLR I WAS TURNING AND LEAVING MY ASSIGNED ALT. I ANTICIPATED 100' BUT INSTEAD I HAD TO CLIMB TO NEAR 9000'. I HAD BEEN TOLD TO TURN OFF MY ENCODER. IT WORKED PERFECTLY EVERYWHERE BUT IN THIS AREA. IT REPORTED ALT ACCURATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THIS EPISODE. IN GETTING OUT OF THE TURBULENT POSSIBLE WIND SHEAR; I ENCOUNTERED RAPID ALT CHANGES BUT I ALSO INADVERTENTLY ENTERED A MIL ZONE. THE CTLR BECAME EXCITED/ANGRY AND ORDERED ME TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO 090 DEG IN ORDER TO EVACUATE THE AREA. I ENCOUNTERED MORE HAIL; RAIN AND A TSTM AGAIN BUT FINALLY PROCEEDED ON COURSE TO MONTGOMERY. I SUBMITTED PIREPS AND WARNED SEVERAL OTHER ACFT TO AVOID THE AREA I HAD JUST VACATED. I CHECKED THE ACFT CAREFULLY AT MONTGOMERY. THE ONLY DAMAGE WAS TO THE FINISH (PITS AND PAINT LOSS). THE CTLR AT BIRMINGHAM FILED AN INCIDENT REPORT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REQUESTED TO FILE A REPORT WITH FSDO IN BHM. ADVISED BY LOCAL FSDO OFFICE STL TO REPORT ONLY TO ASRS. APPARENTLY PENETRATED THE COLUMBUS ONE MOA WHEN ALT DEVIATION WAS MADE. HIGHEST ALT 8100 AND LOWEST 7500. BHM APCH CTLR REQUESTED HE DEACTIVATE HIS XPONDER MODE C BECAUSE IT WAS IN ERROR. OTHER PLTS HAVE REPORTED TO HIM BHM HAS REQUESTED THEY TURN OFF MODE C BECAUSE OF ERROR IN ALT. EQUIPMENT WAS REPORTED OPERATING OK BY ALL OTHER CTLRS AND IT WAS CHECKED AT HIS HOME BASE AND NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG. DURING THE FLT HAD BEEN DEVIATING WX VFR AND WAS HAVING NO PROBLEMS UNTIL THE CTLR PUT HIM ON A RADAR VECTOR AND TURNED HIM INTO THE WX.