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Warning: Distressing content
Harrowing new security footage shows the haunting final moments before a man was killed after climbing into the engine of a plane.
American man Kyler Efinger died on New Year’s Day after he burst through an emergency exit and ran barefoot onto the tarmac at Utah’s Salt Lake City International Airport.
The 30-year-old’s body was later discovered inside a Delta aircraft’s turbine and he was pronounced dead on the scene.
The San Francisco bound plane was packed with 95 passengers and five crew members at the time of the incident and was slowly taxiing along the runway in preparation for take off.
Police administered CPR and naloxone – a medicine used to reverse an opiod overdose – but Efinger did not survive.
The man was reportedly scheduled to fly from Utah to the city of Denver in Colorado to visit his sick grandfather before his family say he suffered a “manic episode” stemming from a mental health crisis.
The newly-released footage shows him running towards a locked door at gate A2 wearing just his socks, holding his shoes, attempting to frantically open the door.
He then speaks with what appears to be an airport staff member before running away and attempting to open another locked door, tugging at it before falling on the ground.
After getting up, he begins beating the window with his shoes before another security camera caught him kicking open an emergency exit door and running down a stairwell.
Efinger somehow made it onto the tarmac, with a thermal imaging camera showing him running towards the slow-moving Delta Airlines plane, when the video ends.
“The police came and knocked on our door at on o’clock at night, to give us the news that no parents ever want to hear,” his father Judd Efinger told Fox 13 News.
“He got held up in security, missed his flight, and those phone calls, I just knew it was coming on.
“They call it the manic phase. Those just don’t end well for him. Obviously, this one, the worst ever.”
His father went on to describe his son as “just a really good soul. Friendly, outgoing, and caring.”
According to his family, the young man enjoyed “skiing, music, his dogs and the Utah Utes” – however, stated that he had faced mental health struggles over the years.
“We first found out about his bipolar disorder, probably 10 years ago,” his sister, Anneke, told the outlet.
He had his first major manic episode and then he kind of continued to have those every two or three years, and those were always really hard.”
The family hope that this incident will help raise awareness of the importance of taking care of one’s mental health.
“On the outside, it seemed like he was as good as he’s ever been,” his father said.
“For other parents and families that are going through this, do not self-medicate,” he pleaded. “Seek professional doctors, seek professional therapists.”
“Despite all of our encouragement to him to seek help and get into therapy, and try to address his disorder head on, he was always reluctant to do that because of the bullying he had endured,” his mother Lisa added.
Officials have stated that “the aircraft’s engines were rotating” and that “the specific stage of engine operation remains under investigation.”
They added that there were “multiple agencies conducting separate investigations into this incident, including the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA)”.
While the incident did not impact airport operations overall, police said they worked with the airport to deplane passengers and secure the area.
Delta Airlines said in a statement that the flight ended up being cancelled and passengers were rebooked on other flights following the incident.
“As nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people, Delta is fully co-operating with all aviation authority and law enforcement investigations,” the company stated.
A medical examiner has yet to determine the exact cause of death.
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