Utah authorities are looking into the death of a man who went into the engine of a Delta Air Lines plane that was parked at Salt Lake City International Airport late Monday.
According to the airport, the 30-year-old man entered the airport’s guarded ramp area via a terminal emergency exit, “ran to the south end of the airport’s west runway where deicing operations were underway, and crawled into an aircraft engine that was not running.”
According to the airport, emergency personnel discovered the man “unconscious and were unable to revive him.” “It is unclear at this time what injuries caused the man’s death.”
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, the individual has been identified as Kyler Efinger, a Park City, Utah resident.
According to the department, Efinger had a boarding card for a flight to Denver.
Delta Air Lines reports that Flight 2348, an Airbus A220 scheduled to fly for San Francisco, returned to the gate and all 95 passengers deplaned. The flight was eventually canceled.
According to police, they responded to the airport about 10 p.m. when a store manager inside the airport contacted 911 to report a disturbance involving a passenger inside a terminal. The cause of the disturbance is currently being investigated.
The authorities stated that the traveler, Efinger, had gone through one of the terminal’s emergency exit doors and into the airport’s outer ramp area.
A pilot reported sighting the man during the search, according to the announcement. Officers discovered personal stuff, including clothes and shoes, on one of the runways minutes later.
After about 10 minutes, dispatchers informed police that the man was at one of the airport’s plane de-icing pads, where he got beneath a jet and accessed the engine, according to police. The police then requested that air traffic authorities instruct the pilot to turn off the aircraft’s engines.
When authorities got to the plane, they discovered Efinger unconscious and “partially inside” one of the commercial plane’s wing-mounted engines, which were still spinning, according to police, who added that “the specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation.”
“SLCPD officers and Airport Operations pulled the man from the engine’s intake cowling, secured the scene, began lifesaving efforts, and requested emergency medical services,” according to a press release. CPR and naloxone delivery were among the efforts.
According to police, Efinger died at the site. According to the agency, an autopsy will be performed to determine his cause and manner of death, and medical examiners may conduct a toxicology report.
According to airport police, the event had no effect on other airport operations.
The Salt Lake City Police Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Transportation Security Administration are all investigating the event.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated that it is “gathering information” on the event, but that the inquiry is being handled by local authorities.