Authorities said that a 30-year-old male died after he crawled inside the engine of a plane at the Salt Lake City International Airport. He had accessed the deicing pad of the airport and climbed into it.
Salt Lake City Police Department reported that the initial investigation started at 9:52 am on Monday when a manager of a store inside the airport called in to report a disturbance with a passenger who was seated on the secured side.
Investigators found that the man entered the ramp area of the airport through the emergency exit.
The department reported that around 10:10 am, airport workers and police found an unconscious man inside the wing-mounted motor of a commercial aircraft parked on the deicing pad. The engines of the aircraft were not running when it happened.
Delta Air Lines reported that two pilots, three attendants, and 95 passengers were aboard an Airbus A220-100 aircraft that was set to fly to San Francisco.
Police said that first responders removed the victim from the engine cowl and declared him deceased on the spot despite their best efforts to save his life.
Authorities are working to identify and determine the cause of death.
Delta confirmed that the flight had been forced to return to its gate and canceled. Customers affected by the cancellation have been rebooked onto other flights.
Delta’s spokesperson stated that “nothing is more important than our customers and employees’ safety and security”, and the company is cooperating fully with any aviation authority or law enforcement investigation.
The police said that the incident had no impact on the overall operation of the airport and that at this time, they are not releasing any further information.
