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Aug 10, 2007 8:10 am US/Pacific
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TSA Searches N.C. Airport After Man Skips Security
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CBS) ―
A man bypassed security screening Friday at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and likely made it onto a flight that departed before he could be found, officials said.
The man slipped past screeners shortly before 8 a.m., a Transportation Security Administration spokesman said. Officials searched about 15 planes on the ground and shut down a concourse without finding him, spokesman Jon Allen said.
Allen said 12 other flights left the airport before the search, and officials believe the man is on one of those flights. Those passengers will be screened when they land, he said.
"It's too soon to say whether there was malicious intent or whether it was someone who was confused and passed the security screening," Allen said.
Flights were delayed for about an hour, said Kathleen Bergen, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman in Atlanta. Some planes were held on the tarmac but later cleared to leave, while others were directed to return to the gate, she said.
The TSA says 10 planes left before officials were able to search the flights. It says the passengers on those flights will be screened when their planes land.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)