I have to note that my own experience with CB's in the tropics was that they were no where near the stuff I experienced in the U.S. mid west.
Hell, we even refueled in a thunderstorm on one ferry mission over the Pacific. Great boom operator and we could hold position within 10 or 15 feet.
The U.S. mid west CB's routinely go up to 40,000 or 50,000 feet, and tornadoes are common. Then there's the mountain wave CAT if you are flying over Kansas or Nebraska.
As with PJ's observation, we used our attack radar to tilt up and down to see how high the CB's went. Then turn left or right to minimize problems.
In the final analysis, I don't see the choice of routes as the primary cause of the crash. out......