Utah Man Dies After Breaching Security and Crawling Into Engine of Passenger Jet

SALT LAKE CITY — Tragedy struck at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday when a Utah man breached a security door and crawled into the engine of a passenger jet, resulting in his untimely death, according to authorities.

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The Salt Lake City Police Department identified the man as 30-year-old Kyler Efinger of Park City, Utah. Efinger, who was a ticketed passenger traveling from Salt Lake City to Denver, tragically met his demise after crawling into the engine of the aircraft, as reported by KSL-TV.

Efinger was discovered unconscious inside the cowling of the engine and was later pronounced dead. The cause of death has yet to be determined, as detailed by The Salt Lake Tribune.

The incident unfolded when a manager of a store at the airport alerted the Airport Control Center about a disturbance involving a passenger on the secured side of the terminal, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Four minutes later, it was reported that Efinger had left through one of the terminal’s emergency exit doors.

Airport employees initiated a search for Efinger and found that he had gained access to the airport’s ramp area. He then sprinted to the south end of a west runway and crawled into the engine of a jet, as revealed by KSTU.

Officers arrived on the scene at 10:08 p.m. to find Efinger partially inside the intake cowling of one of the aircraft’s wing-mounted engines. Initially, it was believed that the engines were not running, but later reports indicated that they were rotating when Efinger was discovered.

The specific stage of engine operation at the time remains under investigation, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Despite the incident, the overall operation of the airport remained unaffected, reassured the police in a news release.

The affected aircraft was a Delta flight bound for San Francisco. The plane, loaded with 95 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots, was parked on a de-icing pad when the incident occurred, reported KSTU. Delta Airlines promptly canceled the flight and rebooked the passengers on alternate routes.

In a statement, Delta Airlines expressed their commitment to safety and security and confirmed their full cooperation with the ongoing investigations conducted by aviation authorities and law enforcement.

As the investigation continues, the family of the deceased man revealed that he had been struggling with mental health issues for years, but the exact cause leading to this tragic incident remains unknown, as shared by FOX 13 News Utah.

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