“We looked up some of the ADS-B tracking data, and it was his tail number….and instantly my heart sank,” Kyle Schroeder said.

FORT WORTH, Texas — From the moment they met last spring, pilots Kyle Schroeder and Michael Daly connected over two shared passions — flying and music.

“I met this amazing other saxophonist and pilot,” Kyle Schroeder said.

Schroeder said Daly had flown into Tampa, where he lives, to bring his pastor — and their friendship took off from there.

“Back in May, he was in town where I live here in Tampa. He flew his pastor over here for a church conference,” Kyle Schroeder said.

Months later, Schroeder said he was heartbroken when he learned about a plane crash in northwest Fort Worth. He figured out the make and model of the plane and began conducting research, knowing that only one person in Fort Worth had that kind of aircraft. What he learned had a direct impact on him.

“We looked up some of the A-D-S-B tracking data, and it was his tail number. And that was a big shocker, and instantly my heart sank,” Kyle Schroeder said.

The 1977 Beechcraft King Air C90 went down just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday, shortly after taking off from Alliance Airport. The small aircraft struck several parked work trucks and trailers, sparking a massive fire that damaged at least 10 vehicles. No one on the ground was hurt, but authorities confirmed two people on board did not survive.


Though the Tarrant County Medical Examiner had not yet positively confirmed the identities of the two people on the plane, Schroeder is mourning the loss of his friend. Michael Daly enjoyed sharing his love of flight with others, especially younger pilots like Schroeder.

“Hi there, my name is Michael Daly and this is my King Air C90,” Michael Daly said in one of his YouTube videos.

Daly often shared his passion for aviation on YouTube, proudly showcasing his King Air and talking about flying with his father.

“I usually go flying every weekend just to fly, and oftentimes I go with my dad,” Michael Daly said.

Schroeder also shared a video of the two of them flying together. Their love for music gave their new friendship even more meaning. Immediately, Schroeder’s admiration for Daly grew into more than just someone sharing the same hobbies. He saw the type of character in Michael Daly that he wanted to evolve into one day. He saw Michael as one of the most well-rounded people he had ever met.

“It’s just crazy because he made a big impression on me when I first met him. Like he had a lot of qualities that I would want to, express when I get older as, like, you know, as a grown man, he was, you know, very, faith centered, very about his family, hard working, you know, businessman, software developer, and really passionate about his business and, his family and God,” said Schroeder.

Kyle is thankful for just the few months he had Michael in his life. He had only met one of Michael’s sons during a recent flight and now hopes to connect with the entire family to support them through their loss. He also wants them to know how much their friendship meant to him.

“Just that impact he had on me and connecting that with the tail number of his aircraft, you know, being involved in the accident was just shocking,” Kyle Schroeder said.

Colleagues at Solutions Group Services posted on social media that they are “deeply saddened by the passing of Michael Daly… a man of deep faith, a devoted husband, and a loving father.”

A father and friend are remembered for two shared gifts.

“God gave us this gift of music and flight,” Kyle Schroeder said.

A bond that will forever link two pilots who shared the same skies and the same love of music.

“We ended up getting our horns out at the airport. We went into a little conference room, playing the saxophone together. He was really intrigued about equipment and stuff. Saxophone players, we could talk about gear and mouthpieces, and horns forever. We just did that,” said Kyle Schroeder.

“He was a great player. He posted online himself playing saxophone towers of worship music. It’s really beautiful to hear him do that, and it really makes me kind of want to bring everything back and follow in his footsteps.”