The airport was also the former headquarters of Grumman Aerospace and was home to Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Bethpage.

[9][10][11] The proposal would have generated additional revenue for Grumman, and it would have enabled competition with Republic Airport in general aviation traffic.

[9] Being surrounded by then by dense housing developments on all sides, the proposal was met with stiff opposition from both local residents and the Town of Oyster Bay.

Bush Administration cancelled the federal contract for the manufacturing of F-14D fighter jets, which some economists claim quickened the demise of the airport.

[25][26] The pilot then attempted to divert instead to the nonexistent runway at Grumman Field, and subsequently crashed at the South Oyster Bay Road railroad crossing.

[25] The crash killed the pilot, injured the passenger, and caused service disruptions on the Long Island Rail Road.