A 30-year-old man was found dead inside the engine of a plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday night.
Kyler Efinger, a Park City, Utah resident, was reportedly found inside the engine of a Delta Airlines aircraft that was set to fly from Salt Lake City to San Francisco. The fight returned to the gate and was canceled. All passengers were rebooked on later flights.
“This was just like a rolling, like a screech to a halt like a brake,” passenger Corey Buckley told local outlet KSL TV about what happened when the flight was suddenly canceled. “The pilot came on the (intercom) and said there was some sort of security event and there was a man who they were looking for on the tarmac surrounding us. What seemed like a million emergency vehicles and police vehicles came screaming to the aircraft.”
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Though Efinger’s cause of death was not released by police, authorities said that the man breached an emergency exit and ran down the runway before jumping into a rotating engine.
Reports indicate that the incident occurred around 10 p.m. when an airport employee reported a disturbance after Efinger went past the emergency exit. Police found personal items and clothing authorities believe belonged to Efinger on the runway.
Efinger was found unconscious, partially inside the engine attached to the plane’s wing as the plane sat on the runway de-icing. Authorities tried to bring him back to life, including using naloxone, which is meant to reverse opioid overdoses. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
“As nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people, Delta is fully cooperating with all aviation authority and law enforcement investigations,” a Delta spokesperson told CBS.
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Salt Lake City International Airport officials are working with the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Salt Lake City police, and Transportation Security Administration on the ongoing investigation into the events of Monday night.
Delta Airlines did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur’s request for comment.
