Sundiata Post – Police in Utah are carrying out an investigation into the death of a man who crawled into the engine of a Delta Air Lines jet on the ground at Salt Lake City International Airport late Monday (local time), CNN reported.
According to the airport, the man got onto the secure ramp area of the airport through a terminal emergency exit, “ran to the south end of the airport’s west runway where deicing operations were underway and crawled into an aircraft engine that was not running.”
The airport said emergency responders found the 30-year-old man “unconscious and were not able to revive him.” It further said,”It is unclear at this time what injuries caused the man’s death.
The man has been identified as Kyler Efinger, a resident of Lake’s Park City, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department. The department said Efinger had a boarding pass for a flight to Denver.
Delta Air Lines said Flight 2348 was about to leave for San Francisco, however, it returned to the gate, where all 95 passengers deboarded. Later, the flight was cancelled, CNN reported.
Police responded to the airport around 10 pm (local time) after a store manager in the airport called 911 to report a disturbance regarding a passenger inside a terminal, police said in a release.
The details of the disturbance are being investigated. According to the police, Kyler Efinger, had gone through one of the terminal’s emergency exit doors and onto the airport’s outdoor ramp area.
During the search, a pilot reported seeing the man, according to the release. A few minutes later, officers found personal items on one of the runways, which included clothes and shoes, according to a CNN report.
After searching for about 10 minutes, dispatchers informed the police that the man was at one of the airport’s plane de-icing pads. According to the dispatchers, the man went under a plane, and assessed the engine, the police said. Police asked air traffic controllers to tell the pilot to close the aircraft’s engines.
After reaching near the plane, the officers found Efinger unconscious and “partially inside” one of the commercial plane’s wing-mounted engines, which were still rotating, according to the police. The police said “The specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation.”
In a release, the police said, “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. The efforts included CPR and the administration of naloxone, CNN reported.
The police said Efinger died on the scene and an autopsy will be carried out to find the cause and manner of his death. According to the department, medical examiners might carry out a toxicology report. Airport police said that the incident did not affect other operations at the airport.
Salt Lake City police said they are carrying out investigation into the matter, as are the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and Transportation Security Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is collecting information regarding the incident. However, it indicated that local police are handling the probe.
