ACFT DAMAGED AFTER ENCOUNTERING HAIL FROM ASSOCIATED TSTM ACTIVITY.

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APCHING IAD FROM CLT ON COATT 3 ARR. PAINTED WX LINE PARALLELING ARR RTE. WX WAS NARROW (5-10 MI) BY 100 MI LONG; WITH WIDELY SCATTERED CELLS. ASKED CTR FOR 20-30 DEG DEV R OF COURSE TO AVOID WX. ATC ADVISED ANOTHER CARRIER PASSED THROUGH AN AREA OFF OUR L AT SAME FLT LEVEL (FL220) JUST A MIN BEFORE AND EXPERIENCED 'JUST A FEW BUMPS.' I SAW NOTHING ON RADAR MORE THAN RAIN SHOWERS (GREEN) AND VISUALLY OBSERVED A VALLEY WITH CUMULUS TOPS NOT MORE THAN 1000-2000 FT ABOVE OUR ALT. BASED ON THIS; I ELECTED TO TRAVERSE THE LINE WHICH APPEARED NO MORE THAN 4 MI IN WIDTH. I PREVIOUSLY HAD ASKED THE FO TO SEAT THE PEOPLE AND ASK THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO DISCONTINUE SVC. JUST PRIOR TO ENTERING THE CLOUDS I ASKED THE FO TO TURN ON ENG; WING AND TAIL ANTI-ICE AS THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS PLUS 5 DEGS. AS WE BEGAN OUR 90 DEG TURN; THE RADAR BEGAN TO PAINT RED WHERE IT WAS PREVIOUSLY GREEN AND WE ENCOUNTERED HVY PRECIPITATION AND MODERATE TURB. WE EXITED THE WX IN APPROX 1 1/2 MINS AND CONTINUED A NORMAL VFR APCH AND LNDG. ALTHOUGH NO ONE WAS INJURED; SOME COFFEE WAS SPILLED AND A DISCONCERTING RIDE WAS EXPERIENCED. UPON POST-FLT INSPECTION; IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT OUR ACFT EXPERIENCED HAIL DAMAGE WHICH NECESSITATED RADOME REPLACEMENT AND A NUMBER OF MINOR SHEET METAL REPAIRS BEFORE FURTHER REVENUE SVC. 2 KNOWN; BUT GRAPHICALLY REITERATED LESSONS WERE REINFORCED HERE. NEVER BE PERSUADED BY ATC TO DO SOMETHING YOUR FIRST JUDGEMENT INCLINES YOU NOT TO DO -- ESPECIALLY IN WX WHICH THEIR RADAR DOES NOT ADEQUATELY DEPICT AND; SEVERE WX CAN AND DOES EXIST IN RATHER PASSIVE LOOKING FORMS. EVIDENTLY WE TOPPED A DEVELOPING HAIL SHAFT AND EVEN AT FL220; IT'S BEST TO AVOID ALL CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 246094: AS WE ENTERED THE CLOUDS; WE ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURB AND HVY RAIN WHICH ALSO HAD SOME HAIL WHICH WE DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL MUCH LATER. AFTER CLRING THE WX; WE ADVISED ATC NOT TO SEND ANY OTHER ACFT THROUGH THAT AREA. ON POST-FLT; DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON RADOME; LEADING EDGES AND NAV LIGHTS.