SALT LAKE CITY — A man died Monday night after breaking through an airport security door and crawling into the engine of a plane at Salt Lake City International Airport.
The man was later identified as 30-year-old Kyler Efinger, a Park City resident.
Police said Efinger was a ticketed passenger with a boarding pass bound for Denver, Colorado. They reported that a branch manager at the airport reported a disturbance involving a passenger on the secure side of the terminal at 9:52 p.m. Airport security later told officers that a man had gone through an emergency exit door.
The disturbance that sparked the incident remains under investigation, Salt Lake City police reported.
Watch the full police briefing on the airport incident below:
Airport Violations Briefing
When airport officials and employees went to search for the man, they discovered that he had entered the airport apron area via the emergency exit. The airport reported that Efinger ran to the south end of the airport's west runway and crawled into the engine of a plane.
A timeline released by the Salt Lake City Police Department detailed that within minutes, a description of Efinger's clothing and updated information on his whereabouts were given to officers.
Shortly afterwards, a pilot reported seeing Efinger, and officers found clothing and shoes on one of the airport's runways.
About 20 minutes later, at 10:08 p.m., officers found Efinger unconscious in a “wing engine of an occupied airliner at the de-icing site,” police reported.
“The plane’s engines were spinning,” police said in an updated news release. “The specific phase of engine operation is still under investigation.”
When officers learned Efinger was underneath the plane, they asked FAA air traffic controllers to notify the pilot to shut down the engines, SLCPD said.
Officers worked to remove Efinger from the area and performed life-saving measures on him, including CPR and administering naloxone. However, he died at the scene of the accident.
Although the incident had no overall impact on airport operations, police said they worked with the airport to disembark passengers and secure the area.
Investigations are ongoing by local and federal officials, including the Salt Lake City Police Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Security Administration.
The aircraft involved was a Delta aircraft that was scheduled to fly to San Francisco. There were two pilots, three flight attendants and 95 customers on board.
Delta said the flight was canceled and passengers were rebooked on other flights following the incident.
“Because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and employees, Delta will cooperate fully with all aviation and law enforcement investigations,” it said in a statement.