Parents of man who died crawling into plane engine sue Salt Lake City

The parents of a man who died after crawling inside a jet engine have filed a lawsuit against Salt Lake City, alleging that his death could have been prevented.

Kyler Efinger, 30, tragically lost his life on New Year's Day in 2024 when he walked through an airport's emergency exit doors and crawled into the engine of a plane that was running.

According to The New York Post, his parents Judd and Lisa Efinger sued Salt Lake City on Tuesday (30 December), roughly two years after the tragedy unfolded.

The aircraft Efinger climbed into was awaiting takeoff at Salt Lake City International Airport, however his parents allege that he should have never been able to reach it and was experiencing an 'obvious mental health episode' that they think should have raised alarm bells.

The tragedy occurred on New Year's Day in 2024 (Getty Stock Image)

The lawsuit claims that he 'was able to walk unimpeded through two emergency exit doors and onto the tarmac', before walking 'for nearly a mile and ended up in the area where airplanes were being deiced before takeoff'.

He then, without any intervention, managed to crawl into the plane’s turbine and was killed, the suit alleges.

The court papers explained that Efinger 'occasionally experienced episodes in which he became visibly disoriented' after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder a decade before his death.

He was scheduled to fly to Denver, Colorado, to visit his sick grandfather at the time of the tragedy.

His parents said that at around 9pm local time, he experienced a manic episode and left the gate, before being caught on surveillance footage walking and running the moving walkways several times, displaying behaviour that 'was objectively unusual for an adult'.

The filing added: "Kyler's medical distress was sufficiently patent, and it was clear that he was in the throes of a mental health episode."

It alleges that 30 minutes later, he entered a store in the airport's concourse and was acting erratically while purchasing a jersey, as well as forgetting his bag as he left.

The 30-year-old's parents are seeking a jury trial and $300,000 in damages (Getty Stock Image)

As per MailOnline, Efinger's parents say the search for their son was 'wholly ineffective' and he would still be alive 'if police had found him 30 seconds earlier'.

The store manager reportedly called airport staff, who made announcements for the bag's owner to return.

Then, Efinger 'went running down the terminal toward the … store, this time with no shoes on and his shirt half unzipped'.

He allegedly lashed out at the worker for 'holding his bag hostage', saying that 'his whole life is in there'.

Efinger allegedly demanded to get his $200 back for the jersey he bought, to which the manager said he would comply if the clothing item was returned.

The paperwork claims he then tried to pull open two locked jet-bridge doors, fell and started beating one of his shoes against a window.

The lawsuit alleges this happened in view of a janitorial staff member, who reportedly spoke to him.

As around 9.54pm, Efinger allegedly went through an emergency exit that led from the terminal onto the apron and the door lacked a delayed egress system, as per the suit, allowing him to exit immediately instead of waiting up to 30 seconds.

Efinger was caught on security camera footage making his way around the airport (FOX 13 News)

The search for Efinger was allegedly described as a 'wild goose chase' by one police officer.

“Kyler’s pushing the bar of the emergency exit door should have given City personnel immediate notification of the exact time and location of that exit,” the complaint stated. “The City’s employees and agents did not know where Kyler had exited or were unable to communicate the information clearly.”

Efinger's parents are seeking damages exceeding $300,000, but have not yet specified an amount, and a jury trial.

Tyla has contacted the Salt Lake City mayor's office for comment.

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.