Man climbs inside jet engine at Utah airport, later found dead

SALT LAKE CITY — A man was found dead inside an airplane engine Monday night at Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door, walked onto the tarmac and climbed inside the jet’s engine.

Officers found the 30-year-old man unconscious inside an engine mounted to the wing of a commercial aircraft loaded with passengers, the Salt Lake City Police Department announced Tuesday. The plane had been sitting on a de-icing pad, and the engine was not running, according to a preliminary investigation.

Police did not release the man’s name or cause of death.

The manager of a store inside the airport reported a disturbance just before 10 p.m., telling dispatchers with the Airport Control Center that he saw a man pass through the emergency exit.

After finding him, first responders pulled the man out of the engine intake cowling, which directs air flow to the engine fan section, and attempted life-saving measures. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passengers were removed from the plane, but overall airport operations were not affected, police said. The initial investigation indicates the man accessed the airport’s ramp area from the emergency exit and climbed inside the nearby engine.

An airport spokesperson did not immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment.