David Stather, Calgary doctor, dies in Grand Canyon BASE jumping

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Victim in BASE jumping accident identified as Canadian surgeon http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azdailysun.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/dd/4ddd154a-877c-11e3-9d02-001a4bcf887a/52e69e6d2b441.preview-620.jpg An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter sits near the Confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers on Saturday. A Coconino County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team had to short-haul the body of a wingsuit BASE jumper who died while jumping near Grand Canyon National Park on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Coconino County Sheriff's Office) 15 hours ago • By ERIC BETZSun staff reporter (http://azdailysun.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=By%20ERIC%20BETZ%0ASun%20staff%20reporter) Officials with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office have identified the man killed while wingsuit BASE jumping on Friday near the Grand Canyon as a 41-year-old Canadian doctor.David Stather, of Calgary, had successfully jumped once in the area of the Confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado rivers on Friday, but his friends lost contact with him following a second jump from the canyon rim.Once they hiked out of the canyon, the pair was able to see Stather’s body some 2,000 feet below the rim. They called 911 at about 5:30 p.m. Rescuers could not reach Stather by helicopter on Friday night because it was too dark. An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter was able to reach his body on Saturday and confirm he had died of his injuries.Stather was a well-known and respected respiratory therapist and surgeon at Alberta Health Center in Canada.He was jumping with another Canadian man, as well as an Eloy, Ariz., resident.

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David Stather remembered fondly by BASE-jumping friends
'Fly free Dave,' Calgary doctor's friend writes in online post

CBC News Posted: Jan 28, 2014 4:59 PM MT Last Updated: Jan 28, 2014 5:37 PM MT
David Stather, who lived and worked in Calgary as a pulmonary specialist, died Friday BASE jumping near the Grand Canyon.

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David Stather, who lived and worked in Calgary as a pulmonary specialist, died Friday BASE jumping near the Grand Canyon. (Ralph Greenaway/Basejumper.com)


David Stather, the Calgary doctor who died in a BASE jumping accident last Friday, was remembered by the sporting community as a man who loved life.

David Stather, Calgary doctor, dies in Grand Canyon BASE jump

"The last time I saw Dave alive he was relaxed and smiling," wrote Stather's friend and fellow thrill-seeker Ralph Greenaway in a post on the member site basejumper.com.
Dr. David Stather

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Dr. David Stather, 41, worked in Calgary as a pulmonologist. (University of Calgary)

Greenaway, Stather and another companion were BASE jumping off a remote cliff in northern Arizonza near the Grand Canyon last week.

BASE stands for building, antenna, span and earth. The sport is similar to skydiving, but fans of the extreme sport launch themselves off a cliff or high building instead of jumping from a plane.

On Friday, Stather had a parachute strapped to him, as well as a wing suit.

It appears the doctor hit rocky terrain before his parachute opened just 15-20 seconds after he jumped, writes Greenaway.

'Sitting around our campfire the night before Dave’s death, he could not have been happier.'- friend Ralph Greenaway

Det. Pat Barr, with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office in Arizona, said Tuesday that an autopsy has been completed and the death will be ruled an accident.

Writing to announce the death to the online community, Greenaway said the trio had spoken a lot about what lines to take down the cliff. He said Stather started conservatively and got progressively lower.

He wrote that Stather's death is a "loss to everyone who knew him and everyone who now won’t get the chance to meet him."

"Sitting around our campfire the night before Dave’s death, he could not have been happier," wrote Greenaway in the post. "He talked about his life, his work and the days jumping with equal enthusiasm. It is my belief that he loved where he was in life."

Stather's