Man found dead inside airplane’s engine after breaching security at Salt Lake City airport
SALT LAKE CITY — A 30-year-old man was found dead inside an airplane’s engine Monday night at the Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he was able to make his way onto the tarmac.
The man was later identified by the Salt Lake Police Department as Kyler Efinger of Park City, who had a ticket to board a flight to Denver, Colorado.
The investigation began when a store manager contacted the airport’s control center at 9:52 p.m. to report a “disturbance involving a passenger” on the secured side of the terminal, according to Salt Lake police. Details on which store and what the passenger was doing were still being investigated.
As officers responded to the call, the man used an emergency exit door to access the airfield. The man breached a security door at 9:54 p.m. and ran to the south end of the airport’s west runway where de-icing operations were underway, according to a statement from the Salt Lake City Department of Airports.
At the same time, Delta flight 2348 from Salt Lake City to San Francisco — an Airbus A220-100 aircraft — was scheduled to depart at 9:30 p.m. The flight, with 95 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants on board, was eventually forced to return to the gate and the flight was canceled because of an individual on the tarmac at the de-ice pad, according to a statement from Delta Air Lines. The passengers were rebooked on other flights.
“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,” Delta said in a statement.
At approximately 10:08 p.m., police and airport employees located the man inside the engine of the San Francisco-bound plane. Brent Weisberg, a spokesman with SLCPD, said it was initially reported that the engines were shut off when the man was located.
It was later clarified that officers had immediately requested air traffic controllers to shut down the engines, but Weisberg said that the engines “were still rotating, but the specific stage of the engine’s operation remains under investigation.”
“Based on the officers’ training and experience and their observation, they did believe that there had been some indicators that the use of naloxone may have been appropriate,” Weisberg said. “Naloxone is used to reverse and stop the effects of an opiate overdose and despite the administration and other life-saving efforts, including CPR, the man did die on scene.”
Weisberg said that a medical examiner will perform a full toxicology report to determine the cause of death.
The incident is under investigation, and airport officials said they are working with the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Salt Lake City police and Transportation Security Administration.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, the SLCPD issued a statement that included more details and a timeline, due to the public’s interest in events:
At 9:56 p.m., dispatchers informed SLCPD officers that the man had passed through an emergency exit inside the terminal. SLCPD officers began heading to the man’s last known location and arrived approximately one minute later and started checking the area on foot.
At 9:57 p.m., dispatchers provided SLCPD officers a clothing description of the man.
At 9:59 p.m., SLCPD officers advised they had checked the man’s last known location but could not find him. SLCPD officers continued their search.
At 10:02 p.m., dispatchers provided updated information on the man’s location.
At 10:03 p.m. dispatchers informed SLCPD officers of the man’s identity based on preliminary information gathered from airport officials.
At 10:04 p.m., SLCPD officers received information from airport employees that a pilot reported seeing the man.
At 10:05 p.m., SLCPD officers requested the FAA’s air traffic control tower be notified of the incident.
At 10:06 p.m., SLCPD officers and Airport Operations located personal items, including clothing and shoes, on one of the airport’s runways.
At 10:07 p.m., dispatchers informed SLCPD officers that the man was at one of the airport’s deicing pads.
At 10:08 p.m., dispatchers informed SLCPD officers the man was underneath an aircraft and had accessed the engine. SLCPD officers requested FAA air traffic controllers notify the pilot to shut down the aircraft’s engines.
At 10:08 p.m., SLCPD officers arrived and found the man unconscious partially inside a wing-mounted engine of an occupied commercial aircraft on the deicing pad. The aircraft’s engines were rotating. The specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation.
At 10:09 p.m. 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.
At 10:15 p.m., lifesaving efforts, including CPR and the administration of naloxone, continued.
Despite the lifesaving efforts, the man died on scene.
Police said that no further information is expected to be released pending the autopsy.