Swiss Authorities Close Criminal Probe Into Death of Scottish Wingsuit Champion Liam Byrne

Swiss federal prosecutors have decided to end their investigation into whether any crime was committed in connection with the death of a Scottish wingsuit flyer who was killed during a jump in the Swiss Alps last year. Documents from the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office, reviewed by BBC Scotland News, confirm that proceedings relating to the incident have been formally discontinued. The decision closes a legal chapter in a case that drew attention across the global extreme sports community.

Liam Byrne, a 24-year-old British champion in the discipline, sustained fatal injuries on the Gitschen mountain after launching from a height of roughly 7,874 feet, equivalent to about 2,400 metres. The jump took place in June of last year. Byrne, who came from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, was widely regarded as one of the most accomplished wingsuit pilots of his generation, having logged thousands of jumps over the course of his flying career.

The investigation had been opened to establish whether any criminal conduct played a role in the crash. However, according to the report explaining the decision to discontinue, the first two wingsuit jumpers in the group landed safely and without incident. Byrne, by contrast, struck the mountainside and suffered injuries that proved fatal.

Under Swiss legal practice, proceedings of this kind can be halted when there is insufficient evidence to support a suspicion of criminal behaviour, including allegations that someone knowingly endangered life. The prosecutor's report concluded that the fatal crash was, with a high degree of probability, the result of an inescapable situation. It cited insufficient lift combined with the low altitude above the ground as the decisive factors.

The report also stated that there were no indications of any criminal acts by third parties that might have contributed to the crash. Equally, it found no evidence of a pre-existing technical defect in the equipment Byrne was using that could have played a part. On that basis, the authorities determined that the proceedings should be discontinued.

Wingsuit flying is a form of skydiving in which participants wear a special suit fitted with webbing between the limbs. This design generates mid-air lift and allows the flyer to travel horizontally through the air in a controlled manner before deploying a parachute. The sport is recognised as one of the most dangerous in the world, in part because it leaves very little margin for error and demands rapid decision-making close to the ground.

Byrne's story reached a wide audience through a 2024 BBC documentary titled "The Boy Who Can Fly". In the film, he recounted how his ambition to fly had taken root in childhood, recalling that he was around 13 years old when he told his father he wanted to learn to fly like a bird. That early aspiration shaped a life devoted to extreme sport and aerial adventure.

His appetite for adventure emerged at a young age. At 12, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, which rises to 19,341 feet, or about 5,895 metres. That achievement was followed by further challenges, including dog-sledging through the Arctic, scuba diving, and a series of high-summit climbs. By 14, he had become a licensed paraglider, and at 16 he completed his first skydive.

By the age of 18, Byrne had begun flying in a wingsuit. He described the suit as a kind of second skin that allowed him to move through the air in a controlled way. Those who knew him characterised him as a highly experienced pilot, and his reputation in the sport was reflected in his standing as a British champion. The sheer number of jumps he had completed underlined the depth of his background in the air.

Following his death, Byrne's family issued a statement paying tribute to the way he lived. They asked that he be remembered not only for the circumstances of his passing but for the manner in which he embraced life. They described him as fearless, explaining that this quality did not stem from an absence of fear but from a refusal to allow fear to hold him back. They said he pursued life in a way most people only dream about, and that he soared.

The family also spoke about the personal significance of the sport to Byrne. They noted that skydiving and base jumping were far more than a source of excitement for him. Rather, they represented freedom, and it was in that environment that he felt most alive. Their words captured both the intensity of his commitment to flying and the sense of purpose he drew from it.

The decision to discontinue the Swiss investigation means no criminal case will proceed in relation to the crash. While the legal process has now concluded, questions about safety in wingsuit flying remain a persistent theme within the sport itself. The prosecutor's emphasis on insufficient lift and low altitude highlights the narrow margins that define this form of flight, where even highly capable pilots can face situations offering no viable escape.

For the wider extreme sports community, the case underscores the inherent risks that accompany activities built around human flight at speed and proximity to terrain. Byrne's death prompted tributes from fellow flyers and others who followed his career, and his appearances in the documentary helped introduce his story to audiences well beyond the specialist world of wingsuiting.

The findings in the Swiss report also serve as a factual record of what investigators determined about the final moments of the jump. The conclusion that equipment failure and third-party involvement could both be ruled out removed the two most common grounds for criminal proceedings in aviation-related deaths. That leaves the incident attributed to the physical limits of the flight itself rather than to negligence or technical fault.

Byrne's journey from a 12-year-old climbing Kilimanjaro to an internationally recognised wingsuit champion reflects an unusual trajectory within extreme sport. His progression through paragliding, skydiving, and ultimately wingsuit flying illustrates the pathway many elite aerial athletes follow as they build the experience required for the most demanding forms of flight. His family's tribute remains a lasting portrait of a young man who, by their account, lived with uncommon intensity and found his greatest sense of freedom in the air.