Federal agency to investigate Monday paragliding fatality

ALBANY – The death of a paraglider who was killed Monday morning is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said.

Kenneth Raymond Backus, 63, was declared dead 8:40 a.m. after the accident in the 1800 block of Cordele Road.

“It looked like he may have nicked a tree,” Fowler said.

The apparent cause of death is blunt force trauma, the coroner said. 

The NTSB will perform toxicology tests and further investigate the accident, Fowler said.