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Commercial aircraft can take quite a bit of turbulence without encountering structural failure, unless the pilot has a death wish and wants to play 'punch the core of a severe thunderstorm'.
Aircraft are designed to flex somewhat to manage stresses; the most obvious is seen when the wingtips flex. If they couldn't do so, the plane would break apart. I've seen film of a Boeing 777's wing being tested to destruction - it took nearly 150% above the maximum structural wing load before the wing's spar snapped from the stress. Before the wing broke, the tip was bent nearly fifteen feet above the normal position for a 777.
While most episodes of turbulence are quite mild, the best solution is to always keep your seat belt on while seated.
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ASF
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well known.
Alpha Alpha (University of Oklahoma) Chapter, #814, 1984
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