A 30-year-old man died after climbing into the engine of a plane at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday evening, police and airport officials said.
An airport official said in a statement that the man broke through the emergency exit, ran to the southern end of the airport's western runway, where de-icing operations were taking place, and “crawled into an aircraft engine that was not running.” It was not immediately clear why the man climbed into the plane's engine.
The plane, a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, returned to the gate, according to the airline. The flight was canceled and the 95 passengers were rebooked on other flights. The plane was an Airbus A220-100, and its crew consisted of two pilots and three flight attendants.
“Because nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people, Delta is fully cooperating with all aviation authorities and law enforcement investigations,” a Delta spokesperson said.
Police did not reveal the man's name or cause of death.
Police investigations began around 9:50 p.m. local time after an airport store manager reported a disturbance involving a passenger on the secure side of the terminal, authorities said. Airport authorities told police that the man passed through the emergency exit.
Police said that at around 10:10 p.m., the man was found unconscious inside the plane's wing-mounted engine. Officers and airport staff worked to extract the man. First responders attempted to take emergency measures to save his life, but the man died at the scene.
A TSA spokesperson said the TSA is aware of the incident and is working with airport authorities in the investigation.
Airport operations were generally unaffected.
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