Thunderstorms can kill in a variety of ways -- the turbulence isn't your only problem, although I wouldn't bet that a storm as severe as this one (50kft tops) c

Thunderstorms can kill in a variety of ways -- the turbulence isn't your only problem, although I wouldn't bet that a storm as severe as this one (50kft tops) couldn't have done it. The kind of bumps you get in something like that aren't what you think of as turbulence in a plane. Airlines have radar and always go around the big cells. This one would have been strong enough to fling people out of their seats and kill them from blunt force impact with the interior of the plane. Second, in a thunderstorm, you have lots of rain, which if strong enough can interfere with the engines. There is also hail which can do significant damage to the skin of the plane and make it very difficult to handle. Third, there is lightning, and while airliners are supposed to be able to take a lighting strike, there are different types of lightning, and "positive lighting" has been known to poke holes in airplanes otherwise believed to be protected. Fourth, there can be lots and lots of ice. Airbus has already issued a letter warning of the danger of pitot icing as a result of this crash, and they know that at least one of the airspeed indicators wasn't working properly, probably because it was iced over. Furthermore, with extreme turbulence, it can be difficult to even read the instruments. With lighting going off all around you, no visible horizon, and you being vibrated and thrown around in your seatbelts, it is very easy to become disoriented and lose control, possibly to the point of overstressing the airframe and ripping it apart. A thunderstorm like this is about the most dangerous place for an airplane to be. I'm certain that one way or another, that is what did them in.