Two years after fatal airport incident, family sues SLC airport for inadequate design and management

SLC International Airport. Photo: TownLift

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Two years after Kyler Efinger died after entering an airplane engine at Salt Lake City International Airport during a mental health episode, his family has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging failures in the airport’s design, security, and emergency response.

On Jan. 1, 2024, the 30-year-old missed a flight to visit his dying grandfather, which his family says triggered a manic episode. Efinger exited the airport through an emergency door, made his way onto the tarmac and entered the engine of an airplane that was preparing for takeoff.

The pilot shut down the engine, and police and emergency medical crews responded and attempted lifesaving measures, but Efinger died at the scene from blunt force injuries.

According to the lawsuit, the airport was “so inadequately designed, managed, monitored, and secured” that Efinger was able to pass through two emergency exit doors, access the tarmac and walk nearly a mile to a de-icing area before city personnel located him and dispatched officers.

The suit further alleges that city employees and agents did not know where Efinger had exited or failed to communicate that information clearly, repeatedly directing officers to the wrong location. It states that “by the time City dispatchers informed police about the correct information about where Kyler had exited onto the tarmac, about eight minutes had passed.” The family claims Efinger would still be alive if officers had found him just 30 seconds earlier.

“The notion that an airport was so dangerously designed and operated as to allow this sequence of events generated international attention and shock,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to obtain redress for their unfathomable loss and to prevent future tragedies.”

Efinger’s family is seeking $300,000 in damages, along with attorney fees, and has requested a jury trial.