Kirk Hawkins: Icon Aircraft founder dies in harrowing wingsuit crash in Swiss Alps

Kirk Hawkins, the founder of an American aviation company, has died in a harrowing wingsuit accident after he collided with trees in the Swiss Alps.

The 58-year-old former US Air Force pilot leapt from a helicopter near the summit of Eiger, a 13,000-foot peak in the Bernese Alps, on August 19.

He was joined by three fellow wingsuit flyers as they glided the mountain’s east ridge.

Tragically, the Icon Aircraft CEO veered off course and struck a strand of trees west of Schüssellouwinegraben.

Authorities confirmed he died upon impact with the ground and are investigating the cause of the accident.

Tributes have poured in for the daredevil, who has been remembered as the “most extraordinary person” who loved to take risks, The Sun reports.

“Kirk was the most extraordinary person I’ve ever known, or ever will know,” wrote close friend and business partner Steen Stand, co-founder of Icon Aircraft.

“Kirk devoured life experiences most of us would never touch.

“He was damn good at assessing risks, probably because he took so many.

“He’d get you into tricky situations, but he’s also the one you wanted beside you when things got dicey.

“I imagine Kirk, in his final moments, knew what was coming, thought that line, and laughed one last time before the exit.”

Mr Hawkins and Mr Steen launched Icon Aircraft in 2006, making waves in the aviation world with the creation of the amphibious A5 light sport aircraft.

A decade later, the aircraft was available for purchase with a whopping $US389,000 ($605,000) price tag.

Just months after the A5’s commercial release, a fatal crash involving former baseball player, Roy ‘Doc’ Halladay, cast a pall over its early success.

Mr Hawkins remained as the CEO for another year following the tragic accident before departing the company in November 2018.