Latest news with #MikeByrne
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
24-year-old dies in wingsuit crash in Switzerland
Liam Byrne, a 24-year-old wingsuit flyer, died on Saturday after a crash on the Gitschen mountain in the Swiss Alps. Mr Byrne had been featured in a BBC documentary titled The Boy Who Can Fly, which followed his journey to becoming a champion skydiver, in November. His parents Mike and Gillian confirmed his death, remembering him as a "fearless" man with a "contagious laugh" and "wild energy". The family said that skydiving and base jumping were more than a thrill for Mr Byrne, describing them as his source of "freedom" and where he felt "most alive." Mr Byrne said in the documentary that an office job scared him more than the fear of dying from a base jump or wingsuit flight.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Liam Byrne: Scottish wingsuit flyer dies during Swiss Alps jump
A Scottish wingsuit flyer has died during a jump in the Swiss champion Liam Byrne, 24, was critically injured on the Gitschen mountain on Saturday after taking off from 7,874ft (2,400m). Mr Byrne, from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, featured in a recent BBC documentary called The Boy Who Can was described as a very experienced wingsuit flyer - which is a type skydiving which involves wearing a special suit with webbing to allow mid-air lift - and had completed hundreds of jumps during his career. His father, Mike Byrne, confirmed to BBC Scotland News from Switzerland that his son had died. He said: "Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us."The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was supporting the family of a British man who died in Switzerland.
