24-Year-Old Wingsuit Pilot Dies After ‘Bat Flight’ in the Swiss Alps

Tragedy struck in the Swiss Alps where a 24-year-old Scottish wingsuit pilot, Liam Byrne, lost his life during a jump. Wingsuit flying is an extreme sport where athletes wear specially designed suits resembling bats. Byrne tragically passed away last Saturday (June 21, 2025), as confirmed by the local police. His parents paid tribute to their son’s ‘brave spirit and generous heart’ in a statement to the BBC. Byrne was experienced in wingsuit flying, becoming a world champion in 2022 with the fastest speed in the advanced category. He also featured in a recent BBC documentary titled ‘The Boy Who Can Fly,’ which chronicled his dream of flying like a bird and his meticulous preparations. On Saturday, Byrne and two other wingsuit flyers jumped from Gitschen Mountain in central Switzerland at an altitude of approximately 2,400 meters above sea level. However, he deviated from the planned trajectory for unknown reasons, according to the Swiss police. He crashed into a rocky area at about 2,100 meters above sea level, suffering fatal injuries. Growing up in Stonehaven, a small town on Scotland’s northeastern coast, Byrne always had a penchant for adventure and extreme sports. According to his LinkedIn profile, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at age 12, trekked 500 kilometers with his own husky team across Norway, Sweden, and Finland at 14, and became a qualified skydiving instructor at 19. His family described him as fearless, not because he lacked fear but because he refused to let it hold him back. Freefall skydiving and base jumping were more than just thrills for Liam—they were freedom. There, he felt most alive.