CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- 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.
(This version corrects the spelling of Allen's given name.)
