@propduffer
In all my thermalling in gliders, I never once was in fear of having its wings fall off. That's because the gliders I've flown (ASK25/Discus/Duo Discus/Nimbus) are rated to +6/-3G, plus margin.
You're forgetting that an airliner does not have those limits, they're only rated from +2.5/-1G, a load factor *easily* achieved or exceeded when penetrating or washing out of a hefty CB updraft. That's why in the Airbus flight control computer logic, load limitation ranks supreme to the point of deploying spoilers to decrease lift and positive G moment. Also, you're forgetting that turbulence near the performance envelope's end is a very different story than down low where you have ample reserve to deal with over/under speed situations. At FL360, the A230 has probably 30 odd kts of range between overspeed and onset of the yellow ribbon... that's not much to play with when your coffee goes flying over the dash and into your controls. Speaking of which, there's another theory for the theorists amongst you: avionics malfunction due to spilled coffee in turbulence. >:->
But in terms of flying my 744 into a CB, I will do anything I can to avoid overstressing the old lady, and any equally trained airline pilot will, too. That includes announcing an altitude block to ATC (formally it's a request, but ATC knows there's nothing I can do so they comply).
Perhaps we can just this once exercise restraint at blaming incompetent crew. Just because they're flying for a third world low cost carrier doesn't mean they weren't decent pilots. The only evidence we have thus far is
1) some combination of airframe and cockpit crew was likely responsible for this crash
2) lots of other flights in the vicinity did not encounter problems
hell for all I know they got hit by a meteorite.