SALT LAKE CITY, UT – A bizarre incident at Salt Lake City International Airport led to the death of a 30-year-old man from Park City, Utah. The incident occurred late Monday when Kyler Efinger, managed to breach a restricted area of the airport.
Gaining access through a terminal’s emergency exit, he found his way to the airport’s ramp area where ongoing deicing operations were taking place.
Efinger went on to climb into an aircraft engine. Although Efinger was found by emergency respondents in an unconscious state, efforts to resuscitate him failed. The precise cause of death, as well as the exact nature of the injuries Efinger incurred, have yet to be established.
Efinger was supposed to catch a Denver-bound flight, as confirmed by Salt Lake City Police Department. The plane involved in the incident was a Delta Air Lines jet that was preparing to depart to San Francisco. The situation necessitated the flight to return to the gate and led to the cancelation of the journey, affecting 95 passengers onboard.
The incident began to unfold when a local store manager reported a disruption involving a passenger within a terminal. Police responding to the call discovered Efinger’s personal items scattered on one of the runways. Shortly afterward, Efinger was seen at one of the airport’s plane de-icing pads, resulting in a quick request to air traffic control to shut down the aircraft’s engines.
Investigations are ongoing, involving local police, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Transportation Security Administration.