A British wingsuit champion who featured in a BBC documentary was killed during a jump in the Swiss Alps, his parents have confirmed.
Liam Byrne, from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, was critically injured on the 7874ft Gitschen mountain in Switzerland on Saturday.
His parents confirmed to BBC Scotland that their 24-year-old son had died.
‘We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it,’ a family statement read.
‘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.’
Liam recently appeared in the BBC documentary ‘The Boy Who Can Fly’, following ‘the uplifting story of a young Scotsman defying conventional expectations and gravity’ over the course of a year.
Liam was one of the youngest top-tier base jumpers in the world and British champion in performance wingsuit flying, the title’s précis notes.
Wingsuit flying involves skydiving from a height using a webbed jumpsuit called a wingsuit that allows the wearer to glide horizontally down to earth.
Liam Byrne, 24, was critically injured on the Gitschen mountain in Switzerland
Liam pictured in a wingsuit during a jump shared on social media
Liam had completed thousands of jumps over his career, the BBC reports.
According to The Boy Who Can Fly, he had dreamt of ‘flying like the birds’ since childhood.
A family statement shared with the BBC described Liam as ‘a source of laughter and strength’.
‘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.’
A police spokesperson told the Mirror: ‘On Saturday three wingsuit flyers launched a jump from Mount Gitschen at around 2,400 metres above sea level in the direction of Seedorf.
‘One of the jumpers, a 24-year-old man from the United Kingdom, deviated from the planned course shortly after take-off for reasons that are still unclear and crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2,100 metres above sea level.
‘He sustained fatal injuries.’
Liam was an accomplished wingsuit flyer and recently appeared in a BBC documentary
Liam spoke to The Scottish Sun about his love of flight late last year.
‘Growing up the only thing I’d really watch on TV was David Attenborough documentaries and I’d even be sitting at school staring out the window at seagulls flying and being envious they have that freedom to take off and fly away,’ he said.
‘I always hated sitting still, looking back now, a love of nature is where it all began for me, especially birds, the way they’re able to harness the elements and fly effortlessly.’
MailOnline approached the Foreign Office for comment.
