A bizarre and tragic incident unfolded at Salt Lake City International Airport when a Utah man died after crawling into the engine of a passenger jet. The incident, which occurred on Monday, has raised serious concerns about airport security and safety.
The man, identified as 30-year-old Kyler Efinger from Park City, was a ticketed passenger scheduled to travel from Salt Lake City to Denver. In a puzzling turn of events, Efinger somehow accessed a highly secure area of the airport and made his way into the engine of the jet.
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, the airport store manager first reported a disturbance involving Efinger in the terminal. Shortly afterward, Efinger was seen exiting through an emergency exit door of the terminal. His actions led him to the airport’s ramp area, and eventually, to the south end of a west runway where the ill-fated incident occurred.
Airport employees, who were searching for Efinger, discovered him in the engine’s cowling – a covering that houses the engine. By the time police officers arrived at approximately 10:08 p.m., they found Efinger partially inside the intake cowling of one of the aircraft’s wing-mounted engines. Initially, it was thought that the engines were not running; however, it was later clarified that they were rotating when Efinger was found. The exact stage of engine operation at the time of the incident remains under investigation.
Tragically, Efinger was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death has not been determined yet, and the incident is currently under investigation.
At the time of the incident, the plane, a Delta flight bound for San Francisco, was loaded with passengers and parked at a de-icing pad. There were 95 passengers, along with three flight attendants and two pilots on board. Following the incident, passengers were taken off the jet, and Delta Airlines canceled the flight, rebooking passengers on other flights. In a statement, Delta emphasized its commitment to safety and security and is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigations.
This incident has not only shed light on the need for stringent security measures at airports but also raised many unanswered questions about how such a security breach could have occurred.