On 2007-05-05 13:48:33 -0700, said:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/886/story/55281.html

I would not depart in a thunderstorm no matter what I was flying. Hail
can travel up to 20 miles from a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are often
surrounded by violent downdrafts called microbursts that will force any
airplane down faster than it can climb. The lightning can blind pilots.
The inside of a thunderstorm is darker than night, and the air currents
throw you around like bucking bull.

I have been inside thunderstorms more than once and each time it has
nearly killed me. I stay as far away from them as I can.

Departing in a thunderstorm is especially dangerous. You are too close
to the ground and the thunderstorm can slam you right down into it. You
can't see obstacles in the darkness and you can't maneuver well enough
to avoid them easily. Hailstones will dent up the airplane, get sucked
into the engines and kill them, and break things. Lightning can strike
the airplane and even burn holes in the skin. If you get caught in the
microburst you will hit the ground before you can fly out of it.
Crewmembers can be thrown out of their chairs with such violence that
it breaks bones and knocks them unconscious. Passengers who don't have
their seatbelts fastened tightly can be badly hurt. Anything loose in
the cabin becomes a deadly missile.

I have never been slammed into the ground, but I have come very close.
I have experienced all the other bad effects I have described. A
thunderstorm frequently has all the energy of several atomic bombs. No
airplane can withstand that. It is possible to fly into a thunderstorm
and live -- I seem to attract them -- but they are still very dangerous.

All of that said, it remains to be seen whether the aircraft you are
referring to actually flew into a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm can be
many miles away but it will seem right on top of you because they are
so big. Rain is not a thunderstorm. Hail is caused by thunderstorms
but, as I have noted, the thunderstorm might be 20 miles away.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor