What happened
The pilot was conducting a VFR cross-country flight when he encountered heavy precipitation located between his current position and his intended destination. In an effort to avoid the weather system, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to circumnavigate the precipitation cells.
During this maneuvering phase, the pilot identified a gap or break in the weather between two distinct storm cells. He proceeded to fly through this opening; however, the area between the cells contained severe turbulence. The aircraft was subjected to significant aerodynamic forces as it passed through this turbulent environment.
The investigation
Following the flight, the airplane landed without further incident regarding controllability. Upon post-flight inspection of the airframe, structural damage was discovered on the empennage (tail section) of the aircraft. The extent of the damage was consistent with the loads imposed by the severe turbulence encountered during the weather avoidance maneuver.
Findings
The primary contributing factor to this incident was the encounter with severe turbulence while attempting to navigate around heavy precipitation. The decision to fly between storm cells exposed the aircraft to hazardous atmospheric conditions that resulted in structural compromise of the tail assembly.