Massport investigating possibility that Milton body fell from plane

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Authorities are investigating the "remote possibility'' that Delvonte Tisdale's body fell out of an airplane as it passed over Milton when the aircraft prepared to land at Boston's Logan Airport, a Massport spokesman said today.

The body of Tisdale was found Nov. 15, launching an investigation that so far has been unable to answer how the 16-year-old made it from his home in Charlotte, NC to an upscale neighborhood in Milton where he had no known ties. Milton police have said his body was mutilated.

Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella this morning said Massport is now checking records to see what flights and what type of aircraft passed over Milton last Monday night. Arriving flights heading to Runway 4R cross Milton, he said.
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"We have been requested to look into that possibility,'' Orlandella said today. "It's something that theoretically can happen. It's a remote possibility.''

One theory being explored is that Tisdale somehow snuck into the wheel well of an aircraft and when the plane prepared to land, the well opened up, sending him plummeting to the ground. Officials said wheel wells on jet aircraft are not pressurized and a stowaway likely would not have survived the sub-freezing temperatures of the upper atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Tisdale's family and will meet with reporters for the first time today since the link was made between the body in Milton and the sophomore and at North Mecklenberg High School.