Redacted report about Delvonte Tisdale released by CMPD

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In the ongoing investigation into how 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale ended up on in the wheel well of plane bound to Boston from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (falling to his death in the process), few questions are still being answered.

Today, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police released a redacted report from the TSA. Department spokesman Rob Tufano said in an e-mail to the pres:, "On March 17, 2011, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department made a formal request to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asking the agency to conduct an additional review of the Delvonte Tisdale security breach report.  This request was made to reaffirm the need to continue to protect sensitive security information included in the report. On Thursday, April 14, 2011, the CMPD received the redacted version of the report from the TSA.  The agency again concluded, the report contained sensitive security information. This review reaffirms the city’s original position,  indicating the report contained sensitive security information concerning airport security and vulnerability that could not and should not be released publicly."

Here's what was in the report:

  • Initially, citizens reported to Milton Police that they heard an explosion or a vehicle crash.
  • Airport Law Enforcement has one current vacancy.
  • There is evidence to support that Mr. Tisdale did not access the aircraft's location via one of the TSA checkpoints.
  • There is some video surveillance to support that Mr. Tisdale did not access the aircraft while it was at the gate.
  • A pre-flight inspection was conducted while the aircraft was at the gate and Mr. Tisdale would have been discovered at that time.

The CMPD has worked closely with the TSA under the direction of David Wray (TSA’s highest ranking official in Charlotte) throughout the entire investigation.

To view the full redacted report yourself, click here.