In a shocking incident at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday night, a 30-year-old man named Kyler Efinger was discovered dead inside an airplane engine. Efinger, a resident of Park City, was found unconscious within the engine mounted on the wing of a commercial aircraft loaded with passengers.
The bizarre sequence of events began when Efinger allegedly breached an emergency exit door, walked onto the tarmac, and climbed inside the engine. The aircraft, which was on a de-icing pad, had its engines rotating at the time. The police reported that Efinger was in possession of a ticket and a boarding pass to Denver. The cause of his death remains unclear at this point, as reported by The Guardian.
The alarm was raised by the manager of a store within the airport, who reported a disturbance just before 10 pm. He informed the Airport Control Center that he witnessed a passenger passing through an emergency exit. Subsequent searches on the runway uncovered Efinger’s personal items, such as clothing and shoes.
As the search intensified, officers discovered Efinger inside the engine intake cowling, which directs airflow to the engine fan. Despite life-saving measures, including CPR, Efinger was pronounced dead at the scene. Passengers were removed from the plane, but airport operations continued without significant interruption.
Efinger’s father, Judd Efinger, revealed on Tuesday that his son had struggled with mental health for nearly a decade. According to the grieving father, Kyler appeared well when the family met for Christmas last week, and he was flying to visit his sick grandparents. Judd Efinger wonders if his son experienced a mental health episode that led to this tragic incident.
The initial investigation suggests that Efinger accessed the airport’s ramp area through the emergency exit, ultimately climbing inside the nearby aircraft engine. The incident highlights the challenges individuals face in dealing with mental health issues and emphasizes the importance of providing support and understanding to those in need.
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