A tragic incident involving alleged negligence occurred in Salt Lake City. A passenger experiencing a mental health crisis managed to enter the moving airplane engine of a Delta Air Lines flight. The result was devastating as the 30-year-old Kyler Efinger passed away instantly after he climbed inside the turbine of the aircraft, which was awaiting takeoff on the runway at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
And now, the victim’s family has decided to take legal action and filed a lawsuit against Salt Lake City, alleging negligence at every step. They have sought damages exceeding $300,000 along with a jury trial.
The unfortunate incident occurred on January 1, 2024, when Kyler Efinger died inside a running airplane engine. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on the fateful day, he was dealing with a mental health episode before the incident. This has been the exact point raised by the victim’s parents in their lawsuit. They claimed that their son’s obvious mental health breakdown should have raised alarms among the staff, barring him from proceeding any further. The lawsuit added “Efinger was able to walk unimpeded through two emergency exit doors and onto the tarmac.”
The court document highlighted that it had been 10 years since the victim was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. And so it was relatively infrequent for him to have such distraught episodes, when he became visibly disoriented. On the day as well, Kyler, who was a ticketed passenger from Utah, showed obvious signs of distress, yet managed to climb into the engine completely unnoticed.
Tragic case of Kyler Efinger at SLC airport: During a manic episode, he breached security, accessed the tarmac, and climbed into a running Delta jet engine. The lawsuit is against Salt Lake City for airport negligence—not Delta. Airlines can’t be liable for unpredictable actions…
— The Sick Gimp (@GimpNft) January 5, 2026
As per surveillance footage records, it was around 9 p.m. when he was waiting to board the flight to visit his ill grandfather that Kyler experienced a manic episode. He could be seen agitated, pacing up and down on a walkway several times. Within less than half an hour, Efinger stepped inside a store in the airport where he showcased such an unusual behavior that the cashier ended up taking less money than needed for the jersey he purchased. The victim allegedly demanded that the transaction be rushed, which led to the situation escalating.
Incidentally, he left his bag behind inside the store, which prompted the store manager to call the Airport Operations. Efinger later ran back towards the store, this time barefoot and with his jacket unzipped. He created chaos, appearing extremely distressed over the bag, which he claimed was kept hostage by the staff operations. After this, he ended up having a brief altercation with the store manager, whom he asked to return his money.
Kyler Efinger, a 30yr old man, was discovered unconscious inside the engine of a Delta plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport on January 1, 2024. This incident occurred after he had been exhibiting erratic behavior while waiting for his flight. https://t.co/RXbdTZapw7
— Ben (@swftr211) January 5, 2026
But he was required to return the merchandise as well, which made him more agitated. While the store manager was uncomfortable with the disoriented behavior of Kyler, he called for airport security. But before he could be captured, the 30-year-old managed to escape without his bag, towards Gate A1. The man then tried multiple locked doors, banged his shoes on the window, and showed clear signs of distress, but none of the airport staff intervened.
His family, in their lawsuit, alleged further negligence, questioning how Kyler Efinger was unnoticed passing through restricted areas and entering the risky tarmac. He ran towards the runway after taking off his pants and underpants in freezing temperatures outside. An Airbus aircraft had begun taxiing before takeoff. Meanwhile, a city personnel member saw him but failed to inform both the ATC and even the pilots about a disoriented man on the runway.
Sadly, Kyler climbed inside this plane’s engine while it was still on. The engine blades struck his hair, and he died instantly after a blunt head trauma. The pilots turned off the engine after noticing the man at the eleventh hour. But the fatality could not be prevented. The lawsuit by the family now claims that Efinger could have been saved if officers had located him 30 seconds sooner.
