Family of mentally-ill man who killed himself by climbing into aircraft’s jet engine sue airport over the tragedy
The family of a mentally ill man who died after entering a jet engine at the Salt Lake City airport is suing, alleging a ‘wild goose chase’ by police delayed the search and contributed to the tragedy.
Kyler Efinger, 30, died on January 1, 2024, when he climbed into the engine of a plane that was running after breaching airport security.
His parents Judd and Lisa sued Salt Lake City on Tuesday, roughly two years after the tragedy.
They claimed that Efinger’s gruesome death was caused by an ‘obvious mental health episode’ and could have been avoided, according to ABC4.
The parents alleged that the search for their son was ‘wholly ineffective’ – and that Efinger would still be alive if police had found him 30 seconds earlier.
City workers allegedly did not find ‘a ticketed passenger known to be in distress and seen walking outside onto the tarmac on a freezing night,’ per the suit.
Meanwhile, police officers were allegedly given incorrect information about Efinger’s whereabouts and communication breakdowns led to ‘wasted valuable time just trying to make sense of each other.’
Efinger’s parents are seeking $300,000 and a jury trial.
Kyler Efinger is seen entering a closed area of Salt Lake City Airport shortly before he killed himself by climbing into the jet engine of a running aircraft in January 2024
The parents of Efinger, pictured, are now suing Salt Lake City and its airport over the tragedy
Efinger died at the Salt Lake City airport about two years ago as he was scheduled to fly to Denver, Colorado, to visit his sick grandfather.
The lawsuit says Efinger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder roughly ten years ago and could have episodes where he became ‘visibly disoriented.’
Around 9pm, he experienced an episode and left his gate to pace up and down the moving walkways, occasionally against the flow.
The lawsuit filed by his parents described Efinger’s behavior as ‘objectively unusual for an adult.’
‘Kyler’s medical distress was sufficiently patent, and it was clear that he was in the throes of a mental health episode,’ the legal filing added.
Thirty minutes later, Efinger entered a store in the airport’s concourse. He was acting erratically while purchasing a jersey and forgot his bag as he left.
The store manager called airport staff, which made announcements for the bag’s owner to return.
At that point, Kyler ‘went running down the terminal toward the … store, this time with no shoes on and his shirt half unzipped.’
A thermal imaging camera showed Efinger approaching a slowly taxiing plane before his death in Salt Lake City
Efinger was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and could have episodes where he became ‘visibly disoriented’
The lawsuit filed by Efinger’s parents described his behavior at the airport as ‘objectively unusual for an adult’
He allegedly lashed out at the manager for ‘holding his bag hostage’ and then ran away again.
Efinger then tried to pull open two locked jet-bridge doors – which was also captured on surveillance footage.
When he couldn’t, he fell dramatically and started beating one of his shoes against a window.
The lawsuit claims that Efinger’s episode happened in view of a janitorial staff member, who even spoke to him.
Around 9.54pm, Efinger went through an emergency exit that led from the terminal onto the apron.
The door lacked a delayed egress system, per the suit, allowing him to exit immediately instead of waiting up to 30 seconds.
Nothing could stop a ‘visibly disoriented person from freely accessing the tarmac,’ Efinger’s parents alleged.
Salt Lake City should have known when and where Efinger was, but they allegedly did not know ‘or were unable to communicate the information clearly.’
The search for the missing man was allegedly described as a ‘wild goose chase’ by one police officer.
One police officer described the chaotic search around the airport for Efinger as a ‘wild goose chase’
Police officers were given the wrong location regarding Efinger’s location twice while looking for him, according to the suit.
By 10.04 pm, a pilot spotted him near the runway, and three minutes later, he reached the deicing area about a mile from the terminal.
Efinger ran toward a plane that had just begun taxiing and climbed into the plane’s engine.
He suffered blunt-force head trauma as the pilot stopped the engines.
Police and airport staff pulled Efinger from the engine, handcuffed him and attempted resuscitation to no avail.
The lawsuit claimed Efinger might still be alive if he was found 30 seconds earlier if not for the ‘wholly ineffective’ first seven minutes of the search.
The Salt Lake City Police Department published its findings about Efinger’s death the day after his death in 2024.
Surveillance footage showed Efinger running towards a locked gate door, trying to pry it open and then beating his shoes on a nearby window
Police said a store manager inside the Salt Lake City airport reported a ‘disturbance’ involving Efinger around 9.52pm.
As officers responded, they were told four minutes later that Efinger had passed through an emergency exit leading directly onto the airfield.
At 10.04pm, a pilot reported seeing Efinger, prompting authorities to notify the FAA’s air traffic control tower.
About three minutes later, Efinger’s shoes and clothing were discovered on a runway and his location was given as a nearby deicing pad.
Moments later, police were told he was underneath an aircraft and had accessed its engine.
Officers asked air traffic controllers to alert the pilot and shut down the engines – but at 10.08pm, officers found Efinger unconscious inside the engine while it was still rotating.
Efforts to revive him – including CPR and naloxone – continued around 10.15pm, but were unsuccessful.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Salt Lake City International Airport for comment.
For help and support contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988
