Charlotte aviation director blasts TSA security

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — The Charlotte airport’s aviation director has blasted the Transportation Security Administration for its role in investigating a teen stowaway, saying local airports can do a better job of security.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Jerry Orr told members of Congress that TSA handed over the investigation to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police and then could not provide some video records that typically monitor employee and passenger access points.

Orr spoke in Washington on Wednesday before a congressional committee on airport security.

His testimony focused on the case of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale, who is thought to have stowed away inside the wheel well of a Boston-bound US Airways jet Nov. 15.

Investigators say they think Tisdale’s body fell from the plane when it lowered its landing gear on approach to Boston.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-07-14-11 1050EDT