A 30-year-old man was found dead at Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah on Monday night after he accessed the airfield and entered the engine of an occupied Delta aircraft.
The man's cause and manner of death are still under investigation, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Police said a store manager inside the airport reported a disturbance involving the man on the secured side of the building at around 9:52 p.m. The nature of the disturbance remains under investigation, according to authorities.
As officers were responding to the disturbance, the man passed through an emergency exit door and accessed the tarmac. Officers said they located personal items, including clothing and shoes, on one of the runways as they searched for the man and were informed that he had entered the engine of a plane at one of the de-icing pads.
Officers say they then instructed FAA air traffic controllers to notify the pilot of the aircraft to shut down the engines.
At around 10:08 p.m., police said they found the man unconscious and partially inside a wing-mounted engine of an occupied Delta aircraft that was scheduled to travel to San Francisco. First responders performed lifesaving efforts, including CPR and the administration of naloxone, on the man after he was removed from the engine intake cowling, but he died on the scene, police said.
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The aircraft’s engines were rotating, but the specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation, according to authorities.
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The man was identified by authorities as Kyler Efinger, a resident of Park City, Utah. Efinger was a ticketed passenger with a boarding pass to Denver, Colorado, police said.
Authorities said the 95 passengers aboard the aircraft deplaned and the flight was canceled. All passengers were rebooked on other flights, according to Delta.
“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.
