news-record.com

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Charlotte/Douglas International Airport plans to increase police staffing and make other improvements to bolster security after an apparent stowaway died in the wheel well of a jet flying to Boston.

But a Massachusetts congressman said today that the breach of security at Charlotte's airport shows the need for a national investigation of the issue.

"This is not just a Charlotte problem or a Boston Logan (Airport) problem. This is a national issue," U.S. Rep. William Keating told The Associated Press. "Charlotte is a major hub. There's a lot of destinations from that airport. But it stands to reason that Charlotte is not alone in having these kinds of tarmac and perimeter safety concerns."

His comments came a day after Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe and City Manager Curt Walton read city council members a three-page summary of their investigation into the death of Delvonte Tisdale, 16, of Charlotte.

Tisdale died Nov. 15 in a US Airways Boeing 737 jet headed from Charlotte to Boston.

Officials refused to provide a copy of the investigation to The Associated Press, and Monroe and Walton told council members they couldn't release it because it has been classified by the federal government.

Monroe said the extensive investigation had not been able to determine how Tisdale got to the airport or his motive for stowing away on the plane.

Repeated telephone messages for airport director Jerry Orr were not returned Tuesday.

Keating said he read the summary, but wasn't sure if he would be able to get a copy of the full report.

"You don't want to be broadcasting security measures taken at a public airport. That part I get," said the newly elected Keating, who investigated Tisdale's death in Massachusetts as the Norfolk County district attorney.

But he said the summary provides clues to problems uncovered by Charlotte police.

"The local police are suggesting a series of enhanced security measures, including improving the electronic security system. They are using different patrolling strategies. They're suggesting structural improvements to the airport property," he said.

"Different resources are being put into play. You can obviously take from that they found that there was not only a breach, but that remedies have to be in place to make things more secure," he added.

Keating told Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last month that the Tisdale case "raised enormous concerns about aviation safety."

He was upset at the thought that if a teenager could board the plane unnoticed, so could a terrorist with a bomb.

"Imagine if a bank robbery took place and it was successful and you went back and said what happened. You would be able to take videotape, you would be able to look at physical evidence You would be able to determine exactly how that happened. But this is something on a far greater scope and they weren't able to determine exactly what happened, which is more alarming. That means they have a greater security threat," he said.

The Transportation Security Administration also is investigating, but it's unclear whether the agency is looking at other airports. A telephone message left for TSA was not returned Tuesday.

Family and friends have been pushing police to find out why airport security didn't stop Tisdale from sneaking on the plane.

The Rev. James Woodson, the family's pastor, said Tuesday that Tisdale's father found out from the media — and not Charlotte police — that the report was complete.

"This is surprising," Woodson said.

Tisdale was a member of the Air Force ROTC program at North Mecklenburg High School near Charlotte. His father, Anthony, said the family had moved from Greensboro to Charlotte in the summer so the teen could join that program. Anthony Tisdale said his son was happy in Charlotte and stayed out of trouble.

But other family members said the teen was unhappy in North Carolina and had never wanted to leave Baltimore, where he had lived earlier.

Tisdale's severely damaged body was found in Milton, Mass. Investigators said he fell out when the plane lowered its landing gear on the approach to Boston.

Experts say he was probably dead before the plane prepared to land.