Narrative:

We were at cruise at FL290, close to the che VOR and flew into a stratus layer with light chop. Radar was on, and was scanned up and down and at various distances and showed nothing. Although the chop was not bad, the decision was made to seek a higher altitude. Clearance was received to FL310. As we started up, we hit severe turbulence. I (captain, PF) hit the ceiling in spite of seatbelt being very tight, and my headset was knocked askew. Within the time frame of a few seconds, the high speed clacker sounded, the first officer pulled the power back (while I put my headset back on). I put in a snappy rate of climb (in order to get out of what I then thought was freezing precipitation) and put the power back up to climb power. The aircraft heaved and bucked violently, but climbed -- amazingly with the autoplt still engaged. Within 20-30 seconds and about 800-1000 ft, we were out of the loud pounding noise, rapidly. We asked for lower and were given clearance back down to FL290. We started back down immediately and slowly regained our airspeed. Within 20 mi, we were in blue skies. We checked all instruments, which showed normal operations. We talked to the flight attendant to make sure she was ok. She had hit the ceiling with the cart. She was fine (what a trooper!) but the cart was damaged. As the first officer and I discussed what had happened, we looked out our respective windows. I noticed 2 small dark spots on the wing, but could not tell if they were dings, or some other optical illusion. We decided to continue on to tulsa and called maintenance to ask for a maintenance crew to meet us in tulsa. The passenger seemed nonplussed upon deplaning in tulsa. The seatbelt sign had been on during the entire event. Upon arrival in tulsa, the fact that we had flown through hail became easily apparent. The leading edges of the wings were dinged and the radome had large pieces of paint missing. I talked to maintenance, and they asked me to talk to the chief pilot to positively verify whether we had in fact gone through severe turbulence. I gladly talked to the chief pilot and upon conferring on the official definitions, had to honestly say that we had indeed flown through severe turbulence. Not to mention hail.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CARJ IS DAMAGED DURING ENCOUNTER WITH CONVECTIVE WX, HAIL AND ASSOCIATED TURB ABOVE FL290 NEAR CHE VOR.

Narrative: WE WERE AT CRUISE AT FL290, CLOSE TO THE CHE VOR AND FLEW INTO A STRATUS LAYER WITH LIGHT CHOP. RADAR WAS ON, AND WAS SCANNED UP AND DOWN AND AT VARIOUS DISTANCES AND SHOWED NOTHING. ALTHOUGH THE CHOP WAS NOT BAD, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO SEEK A HIGHER ALT. CLRNC WAS RECEIVED TO FL310. AS WE STARTED UP, WE HIT SEVERE TURB. I (CAPT, PF) HIT THE CEILING IN SPITE OF SEATBELT BEING VERY TIGHT, AND MY HEADSET WAS KNOCKED ASKEW. WITHIN THE TIME FRAME OF A FEW SECONDS, THE HIGH SPD CLACKER SOUNDED, THE FO PULLED THE PWR BACK (WHILE I PUT MY HEADSET BACK ON). I PUT IN A SNAPPY RATE OF CLB (IN ORDER TO GET OUT OF WHAT I THEN THOUGHT WAS FREEZING PRECIP) AND PUT THE PWR BACK UP TO CLB PWR. THE ACFT HEAVED AND BUCKED VIOLENTLY, BUT CLBED -- AMAZINGLY WITH THE AUTOPLT STILL ENGAGED. WITHIN 20-30 SECONDS AND ABOUT 800-1000 FT, WE WERE OUT OF THE LOUD POUNDING NOISE, RAPIDLY. WE ASKED FOR LOWER AND WERE GIVEN CLRNC BACK DOWN TO FL290. WE STARTED BACK DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND SLOWLY REGAINED OUR AIRSPD. WITHIN 20 MI, WE WERE IN BLUE SKIES. WE CHKED ALL INSTS, WHICH SHOWED NORMAL OPS. WE TALKED TO THE FLT ATTENDANT TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS OK. SHE HAD HIT THE CEILING WITH THE CART. SHE WAS FINE (WHAT A TROOPER!) BUT THE CART WAS DAMAGED. AS THE FO AND I DISCUSSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED, WE LOOKED OUT OUR RESPECTIVE WINDOWS. I NOTICED 2 SMALL DARK SPOTS ON THE WING, BUT COULD NOT TELL IF THEY WERE DINGS, OR SOME OTHER OPTICAL ILLUSION. WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE ON TO TULSA AND CALLED MAINT TO ASK FOR A MAINT CREW TO MEET US IN TULSA. THE PAX SEEMED NONPLUSSED UPON DEPLANING IN TULSA. THE SEATBELT SIGN HAD BEEN ON DURING THE ENTIRE EVENT. UPON ARR IN TULSA, THE FACT THAT WE HAD FLOWN THROUGH HAIL BECAME EASILY APPARENT. THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS WERE DINGED AND THE RADOME HAD LARGE PIECES OF PAINT MISSING. I TALKED TO MAINT, AND THEY ASKED ME TO TALK TO THE CHIEF PLT TO POSITIVELY VERIFY WHETHER WE HAD IN FACT GONE THROUGH SEVERE TURB. I GLADLY TALKED TO THE CHIEF PLT AND UPON CONFERRING ON THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIONS, HAD TO HONESTLY SAY THAT WE HAD INDEED FLOWN THROUGH SEVERE TURB. NOT TO MENTION HAIL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.