Date: 201305
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Flight conditions: IMC
Weather elements / visibility: Turbulence
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: P180 Avanti
Operator: Corporate
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Aircraft component: Flight Dynamics Navigation and Safety
Component problem: Design; Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Corporate
Reporter function: Single Pilot; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Human factors: Distraction; Troubleshooting; Training / Qualification; Human-Machine Interface; Workload; Confusion
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control; Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Weather
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: At FL360 and rerouting toward a gap in a line of radar returns. Several aircraft had used the gap with success. Before I got near the gap I entered in IMC conditions and experienced light to moderate chop. Suddenly my EFIS displays (two) and the Multifunction Display went blank. Attitude and DG information were displayed on these tubes. The Multifunction Display can be used after channeling information with a toggle switch. However; it was dead also. I felt the circuit breakers for a popped one but couldn't find one out. I also reset both inverters to try to bring them back on line. Then I noticed my altimeter was descending. I transitioned to a tiny peanut gyro standby display for attitude information. By then my attitude was in a steep descending turn probably from the turbulence initiating the unusual attitude while I was troubleshooting. I throttled back and gently tried to regain a safe descent rate and attitude. The standby gyro was difficult to use because of its size and location. ATC inquired about the descent and I told them I lost my displays and needed to land. They asked if I wanted to go to the nearest airport. I picked ZZZ as it was the most appropriate. I entered VFR conditions and landed without incident at ZZZ. I left it there to have a Mechanic look it over first. I had one passenger and he was OK. If I were to do this over again I would have skipped the troubleshooting and gone straight to the standby gyro. If there were two pilots; then the second pilot could have troubleshot the problem while the first was concentrating on attitude of the plane.

Callback: The Reporter stated that the most probable cause of the instrument loss was a cloud to cloud lightning strike which apparently hit one the propellers where damage was found. All instruments returned to normal on the ground. His aircraft was not actually in a weather cell; as best he could tell at the time; and so he assumes cloud to cloud lightning.



Synopsis: A Piaggio P180 took an apparent lightning strike on a propeller while IMC at FL360 and subsequently all EFIS data was lost. While troubleshooting; the aircraft entered a descending turn which the pilot arrested using his Standby Gyro; then diverted to a nearby airport.