An investigation has been launched after a man at the Salt Lake City International Airport was killed when he crawled into the engine of a Delta Air Lines jet on Monday.
The Salt Lake City Police Department identified the man in a press release as Kyler Efinger, 30, a resident of Park City, Utah.
The airport shared in a statement with CNN that Efinger had gained access to a secure ramp area of the airport through a terminal emergency exit. He then “ran to the south end of the airport’s west runway where de-icing operations were underway and crawled into an aircraft engine that was not running.”
Emergency responders were called to the scene, and they found Efinger “unconscious and were not able to revive him,” the airport added.
“It is unclear at this time what injuries caused the man’s death,” the statement read.
Police arrived at the airport after a store manager called 911 to report a disturbance involving a passenger inside a terminal, the department shared.
Police shared that after Efinger gained access to the ramp, they began looking for him when a pilot reported seeing a man minutes later. Officers found personal items on one of the runways, including clothes and shoes.
After a nearly 10-minute search, dispatchers notified police that the man had been seen on a de-icing pad. From the pad, he went under a plane bound for San Francisco and gained access to the engine, police shared.
Police quickly contacted air traffic controllers, requesting the pilot shut down the plane’s engines.
Efinger was found “partially inside” one of the aircraft’s wing-mounted engines and unconscious when police arrived at the plane.
The authorities shared in their release that the engine was still rotating when officers arrived, and “the specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation.”
“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 release said.
Effinger died at the scene, police shared.
An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
The Salt Lake City Police Department, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and Transportation Security Administration have ongoing investigations into the incident.