World-famous jumper dies after failed landing from 2.5 km height

24-year-old British wingsuit champion Liam Byrne tragically died during a jump from Mount Hitchen in the Swiss Alps.

The incident occurred on Saturday after takeoff from an altitude of 2,400 meters. Despite rescue efforts, Byrne suffered fatal injuries.

Byrne, originally from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, was considered one of the most experienced athletes in the sport — over his career, he completed more than 4,000 wingsuit flights. His talent and charisma were featured in the 2024 BBC documentary The Boy Who Could Fly.

In the BBC documentary, Liam said: "I was about 13 when I told my dad I wanted to learn to fly like a bird."

“In school, I would look out the window at the seagulls flying and always felt envious of their freedom to just take off and soar,” said the young man who went on to become a skydiving instructor.

“I’ve often wondered why I love flying so much. Maybe my brain is wired differently from other people’s, maybe I deal with fear in another way.

But I know myself well enough to say that an office job scares me much more than the risk of dying from a regular jump or a wingsuit flight,” Byrne said.

Liam also admitted that no matter how safe he tried to make the sport, he was always aware of how much it worried his family.

In the documentary, he said preparation was the key to safety.

“For the last decade I’ve trained to improve my skills and reduce every possible risk. As for me, I’m the most calculated adrenaline junkie you could imagine,” said Liam. “The more I prepare, the more control I have.”

Liam Byrne had been passionate about extreme sports from a young age.

At the age of 12, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which stands at 5,895 meters.

That adventure was followed by dog sledding across the Arctic, scuba diving, and numerous mountain climbs.

At 16, he made his first parachute jump, and by 18, he was wearing a wingsuit, which he described as “a second skin that allows me to move through the air with control.”

Jumps through the air were more than just a sport — they were freedom for Liam, his parents said

Liam Byrne’s parents, Mike and Gillian, confirmed their son’s death to BBC Scotland News.

In a statement, the family said:
“We would like to remember Liam not just for how he left this world, but for how he lived in it.”

“Liam was fearless — not because he had no fear, but because he never let fear hold him back. He chased life the way most of us only dream of, and he soared.”

“Skydiving and BASE jumping were more than a passion for Liam — they were freedom. It was where he felt most alive.”

The statement continued:
“Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a cousin, and a friend. He was a source of laughter and strength.”

“He inspired us all and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart.”

“We will miss Liam’s wild energy and contagious laugh. Though he is now beyond our reach, he will always be with us.”

In the 2024 BBC documentary, Liam Byrne’s father, Mike — a builder and former Royal Marines special forces operative — also took part.

In one emotional scene, he watches his son take off during a training jump and says: “I’ve buried him in my head ten times already.”

But Mike goes on to say that he understood how much joy wingsuit flying brought Liam.

“He was an incredible kid growing up — he was up for anything I ever asked him to do,” Liam’s father said.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the police of the canton of Uri have announced that they are investigating the fatal wingsuit jumping incident.

The statement says that three pilots jumped shortly before noon on Saturday, and the death of one of them occurred shortly thereafter.