20060821031089A

(-23) On August 21, 2006, at 1400 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR22-GTS, N518SR, registered to wells fargo bank, trustee, and operated by a foreign-certificated private pilot as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, was reported by the pilot to have encountered severe turbulence during cruise flight near Mcrae, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from athens, Georgia, on August 21, 2006, at 1300. According to the pilot, while in cruise flight at 9,500 feet mean sea level enroute to fort lauderdale, Florida, with VFR flight following from atlanta center, the airplane encountered severe clear air turbulence. He stated that the airplane bounced once in turbulence, lost altitude, then had another hard bounce of turbulence. He said that, after he stabilized the airplane, he and his passenger observed thin lines of paint missing from the tops of both wings. The pilot slowed the airplane down to about 90 knots and did a precautionary landing at the nearest airport, telfair-wheeler airport in Mcrae. The pilot stated that he contacted Cirrus design corporation and informed them of the occurrence. The airplane was disassembled and transported to atlanta aerospace corporation for further examination. Following the examination on October 19, 2006, Cirrus design corporation contacted the safety board and reported the accident.