WASHINGTON, July 14 (UPI) -- A Charlotte, N.C., official says the Transportation Security Administration is ducking responsibility for a major breach of security at the airport.
Jerry Orr, the Charlotte aviation director, testified Wednesday before a House of Representatives panel investigating airport security, The Charlotte Observer reported. He discussed the death of Delvonte Tisdale, 16, who is believed to have hidden in the wheel well of a plane that flew from Charlotte to Boston.
Delvonte's body was found in Milton, Mass., in December. Investigators believe he probably died from cold or lack of oxygen and his body then fell to the ground.
Orr told the House subcommittee the TSA refused to do its own investigation of how Delvonte might have been able to get through security at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. He said the TSA's failure to ensure that security videotapes of checkpoints were preserved hampered the investigation by Charlotte/Mecklenburg Police.
The teen was not identified until weeks after his body was discovered. Police at first believed he was from the Boston area and had been killed locally.
