ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has obtained new video of an airport security breach that allowed a man to board a Delta flight without a ticket.
Flight experts say he could have made it to his destination if he had done one thing differently.
In the video you see Wicliff Fleurizard wearing a green sweater and sneaking onto the Delta flight in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After talking and laughing with other passengers, he appears to take a picture of that man’s boarding pass.
The criminal complaint said he did this multiple times with multiple people.
He then scans his phone to get on board.
“Digital technology has made traveling much easier, but it’s not infallible. In this case, we see that a simple QR code could be photographed from a paper copy and used to board an airplane,” said Col. Steve Ganyard, retired Marine and ABC News contributor.
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The affidavit said when another passenger tried scanning their ticket, the system said they had already boarded.
Fleurizard allegedly waited in the airplane bathroom until the plane got on the runway.
A flight attendant realized he wasn’t in the system-- or booked on any other flights -- when she asked for his name and seat number.
The plane went back to the gate and Fleurizard was arrested.
“This guy would have succeeded if we hadn’t been in the middle of spring break where almost every airplane seat is sold out. If he’d walked in the back and he’d seen an open seat, he could have just gone and sat down. And nobody would’ve been the wiser,” Ganyard said.
Police charged Fleurizard with felony stowaway.
In a statement to Channel 2 Action News, Delta says it’s cooperating with law enforcement.
According to the criminal complaint, Fleurizard told authorities he made a mistake and he just wanted to get home.
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