Officials say a man died after crawling into a plane's engine at the Salt Lake City Airport

A 30-year-old man died after climbing into the engine of a plane at Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday evening, police and airport officials said.

Kyler Evinger, a resident of Park City, Utah, broke through an emergency exit, ran to the south end of the airport's west runway where de-icing operations were underway, and “crawled into an airplane engine,” an airport official said. Police later said the plane's engines were running and that “the specific phase of engine operation is still under investigation.”

It was not immediately clear why Evinger, who police said was a ticketed passenger with a Denver boarding pass, climbed into the plane's engine.

The plane, a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, returned to the gate, according to the airline. The flight was canceled and the 95 passengers were rebooked on other flights. The plane was an Airbus A220-100, and its crew consisted of two pilots and three flight attendants.

“Since nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people, Delta is fully cooperating with all aviation authorities and law enforcement investigations,” a Delta spokesperson said.

Police did not announce the man's cause of death.

Police investigations began around 9:50 p.m. local time after an airport store manager reported a disturbance involving a passenger on the secure side of the terminal, authorities said. Airport authorities told police that the man passed through the emergency exit.

Officers and airport operations found personal items, including clothing and shoes, on one of the airport's runways at 10:06 p.m. as they searched for Effinger. Just minutes later, dispatchers told police the man was on one of the airport's de-icing platforms. They said he was underneath the plane and had access to the engine. The officers asked air traffic controllers to notify the pilot to turn off the plane's engines.

Police said that at approximately 10:10 p.m., the man was found unconscious, part way inside the plane's wing-mounted engine. Officers and airport staff worked to extricate the man, and first responders attempted to take emergency measures to save his life, including CPR and administering naloxone, a medication for individuals suffering from opioid overdoses, but the man died at the scene.

Salt Lake City officers will work with the medical examiner's office to determine Effinger's cause and manner of death, which police said may include a toxicology report.

A TSA spokesperson said the TSA is aware of the incident and is working with airport authorities in the investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are also investigating, local police said.

Officials said overall airport operations were not affected.