A 24-year-old British wingsuit flyer was killed on Saturday during a base jump in the Swiss Alps, local police said in a statement.

The man was later named as Liam Byrne by his parents, who released a statement to the BBC, paying tribute to their son’s “bold spirit and kind heart”.

Byrne was experienced in wingsuit flying, a strand of skydiving that involves wearing a specially designed suit to maximise gliding time before deploying a parachute.

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He became a British champion in the sport in 2022, recording the fastest speed in the advanced category.

More recently, he was the subject of a BBC documentary ‘The Boy Who Can Fly’, which traced his dreams of flying like a bird and his careful preparations to do so.

But his family always lived with the fear of losing him.

“I have buried him 10 times already in my head,” his dad Mike said in the documentary.

On Saturday, Byrne and two other wingsuit flyers launched a jump from the Gitschen mountain in central Switzerland at approximately 2400m above sea level, but he deviated from his intended course for unknown reasons.

He crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2100m above sea level and suffered fatal injuries, Swiss police added in the statement.

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

“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.

“Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam — it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive.

“Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and friend. He was 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. Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us.”

Growing up in Stonehaven, a small town on Scotland’s northeast coast, Byrne was always drawn to adventure and extreme sports.

He had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro by the age of 12, covered 500km with his own team of huskies through Norway, Sweden and Finland by 14 and qualified as a skydiving instructor by 19.