Man Dies After Climbing into Delta A220 Engine in Salt Lake City

On New Year's Day, a man was found dead inside the engine of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A220 as the aircraft was awaiting de-icing at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

Incident Background

The individual has been identified as 30-year-old Kyler Enfiger of nearby Park City, Utah, who was at Salt Lake City Airport with a ticketed boarding pass for a flight to Denver. Enfiger's family members who were contacted said that he was heading to visit a sick grandparent. They also mentioned that Kyler had been suffering from mental health issues for nearly a decade.

It is believed that Enfiger somehow breached an emergency exit door after clearing TSA at the airport. It was around 9:50 p.m. local time, and a nearby store manager in the terminal reported a disturbance. He then made his way onto the apron and climbed into the engine of a Delta aircraft. However, it's worth mentioning that the engine in which Enfiger had climbed was not turned on at the time. The plane was stationary, awaiting de-icing, so only one engine was running.

The flight was Delta Air Lines 2348 to San Francisco, operated by an Airbus A220-100 registered N108DQ. It's unclear how Enfiger exactly lost his life in the A220's engine. Unlike past incidents involving people and aircraft engines, he was not sucked in as that particular engine wasn't running.

Enfiger is believed to have climbed into the engine and sat inside the inlet. At this point, the most probable cause of death would be related to the cold weather outside. While not confirmed, this assertion is further supported by Enfiger's clothing, shoes, and other personal items found on SLC's de-icing pad.

Aftermath

Airport authorities began looking for Enfiger just after 10:05 p.m. Just minutes later, airport dispatchers reported a man at one of the de-icing pads. They mentioned he was under an aircraft and had gained access to one of its engines. Police officers then asked Air Traffic Control to notify the pilots of the situation and for them to shut the sole running engine down as a precautionary measure.

Around 10:10 p.m., Enfiger was found unconscious in the engine. Despite efforts by first responders to resuscitate him through CPR and the administration of naloxone, Enfiger died on the scene. There were 95 passengers onboard the A220 bound for San Francisco. Because of the incident, the flight was canceled, and passengers were rebooked onto another flight. Airport operations were not affected by this incident.

The aircraft itself was taken to the maintenance hangars for further investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, and Transportation Safety Administration are all involved in this ongoing investigation.