Parents of Man Killed After Crawling Into Delta Jet Engine Sue Salt Lake City Airport [WATCH]

The parents of a Utah man who died after crawling into the engine of a Delta Air Lines aircraft at Salt Lake City International Airport have filed a lawsuit against Salt Lake City, alleging that a series of security failures allowed their son to access the tarmac during what they say was an obvious mental health crisis, as reported by The New York Post.

Kyler Efinger, 30, was found dead on New Year’s Day 2024 after climbing into the turbine of a Delta plane that was preparing for takeoff at the airport.

His parents, Judd and Lisa Efinger, allege in a lawsuit filed last Tuesday that their son’s death could have been prevented if airport personnel had intervened earlier and if security systems had functioned properly.

Newly released security camera footage from Salt Lake City International Airport shows the final moments leading up to the tragic death of Kyler Efinger, 30, who entered the tarmac through an emergency exit and ultimately succumbed inside a jet engine turbine on January 1.

At… pic.twitter.com/yKbSZQLbat

— DeeehAndradee (@DeeehAndradee) June 27, 2024

According to the complaint obtained by The Post, Efinger, a ticketed passenger traveling to visit his ill grandfather, was experiencing what the lawsuit describes as an “obvious mental health episode” in the hours before his death.

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Efinger had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder a decade earlier and “occasionally experienced episodes in which he became visibly disoriented,” the filing said.

The lawsuit states that at around 9 p.m., Efinger began pacing repeatedly along a walkway inside the terminal.

Less than 30 minutes later, he entered a Utah Jazz store, where his behavior was so unusual that a manager accepted less than the full purchase price for a jersey to “hurry up the transaction,” according to the filing.

Efinger left his bag in the store, prompting the manager to call Airport Operations.

The complaint alleges that Efinger then ran through the terminal without shoes, his shirt partially unzipped, as an airport employee arrived to retrieve the bag.

The manager reported hearing Efinger yell that his bag was being held “hostage” and that his “whole life is in there.”

After demanding a refund and becoming increasingly agitated, the lawsuit says the manager and an associate called airport security, at which point Efinger ran toward gate A1 without his bag.

Despite his behavior, the complaint alleges that no additional steps were taken to locate or assist him.

At approximately 9:52 p.m., Efinger attempted to open a locked jet bridge door while carrying his shoes.

He briefly interacted with a janitorial worker and then tried to open another locked door, falling in what the filing described as an “exaggerated manner.”

He later struck a window with his shoe before accessing an emergency exit door that led from the terminal’s sterile area to the secure tarmac.

That door, the lawsuit alleges, lacked a delayed egress locking system that would have required a 15- to 20-second wait before opening.

“The City did not maintain any impediments to prevent a visibly disoriented person from freely accessing the tarmac,” the lawsuit stated, adding that airport personnel were not immediately alerted to Efinger’s exit location.

Efinger walked nearly a mile across the airfield, eventually removing his pants and undergarments in freezing conditions, leaving him wearing only a jersey and socks.

He then ran toward an Airbus aircraft that had begun taxiing. The lawsuit claims city personnel failed to warn air traffic controllers or pilots that a “disoriented person” was on the tarmac.

NEW: Family of man who k*lled himself by climbing into a plane’s jet engine sues Salt Lake City for $300,000

Kyler Efinger, 30, died on January 1, 2024, after climbing into the engine of a plane that was running

His parents, Judd and Lisa, said his death was caused by an… pic.twitter.com/QIiExM4bYD

— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) January 2, 2026

Efinger climbed into the aircraft’s engine while it was still running. His hair was caught by the engine blades, and he was killed by “blunt head trauma from his head being forcibly pulled against the blades of the engine,” according to court documents.

Although the pilot shut down the engine after noticing Efinger, the lawsuit says the fatal injuries had already occurred.

Efinger’s parents argue that he would still be alive “if officers had located him 30 seconds sooner.”

They are seeking damages exceeding $300,000 and a jury trial, accusing Salt Lake City of failing to maintain safe premises, adequate security systems, and effective communication protocols.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake City mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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