A renowned wingsuit flyer who was featured in a BBC documentary titled The Boy Who Can Fly has passed away following critical injuries sustained during a jump over the weekend.
Liam Byrne, aged 24, was engaged in a high-risk jump from almost 8,000 feet above sea level in the Swiss Alps on Saturday when the tragic incident occurred, as reported by The Telegraph, referencing local police.
Byrne, hailing from Scotland, was equipped with a wingsuit, a specialized jumpsuit featuring webbed sleeves and membranes connecting the arms, body, and legs, enabling the wearer to glide through the air.
Wingsuit diver Liam Byrne in action and smiling in a collage. He died on Saturday. (Instagram @liambyrne0)
He said that an office job scared him far more than the fear of dying from a base or wingsuit jump. He insisted that good preparation was at the heart of all his jumps and kept him safe and acknowledged that the high-risk sport worried his family.
Byrne climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at age 12, became a licensed paraglider at 14, completed his first skydive at 16 and was flying in a wingsuit by 18, according to the BBC.
Byrne’s family released a statement praising him and saying that the sport was “more than just a thrill for Liam – it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive.”
“We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it,” the statement reads in part.
Liam Byrne in the last wingsuit jump he posted to Instagram. (Instagram @liambyrne0)
“Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn’t afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared.”
The statement continued: “He inspired all of us and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart. We will miss Liam’s wild energy and contagious laugh. Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us.”
There have been a number of wingsuit-related deaths in the U.S., including a January 2024 incident in which Gregory Coates, 36, died in Colorado after both his primary and reserve parachutes failed to deploy.
In September, Jonathan Bizilia, 27, of Alabama died in a jump in Utah.
