Tommy died as the pilot of a hand-built airplane after crashing into a golf cart shortly after takeoff from Santa Paula Airport in Ventura, California. His ashes were strewn in the ocean near Hawaii. Mourners in attendance went out on a boat and sang The Mickey Mouse Song as the ashes were strewn.
The following is a summary of an article in the Los Angeles Times:
Thomas Grist Sr., 51, a commercial pilot from Las Vegas, Nev., and passenger David Knight, 45, of Stockton were trapped inside the cockpit and could not escape witnesses said. Investigators and witnesses said the aluminum plane, built from a kit manufactured in Oregon, was 20 to 40 feet above the runway after takeoff when its engine apparently died. The plane veered over a series of hangars before striking the pavement, skidding 30 feet into the motorized golf cart and sliding another 50 feet on its belly, witnesses said. James Burtlow, the golf cart's driver, saw the plane descend and leaped for cover in a nearby hangar moments before it hit the cart, Santa Paula police said. The carts are a popular means of transportation for airport employees. Grist, a Hawaiian Airlines captain who had flown between the West Coast and Hawaii since 1972, was unable to maneuver the plane's nose down for a safe landing, authorities said. He also was a certified flight instructor who regularly flew out of Santa Paula and conducted flight tests twice a year for local pilots seeking license renewals.
The following is a summary of an article in the Los Angeles Times:
Thomas Grist Sr., 51, a commercial pilot from Las Vegas, Nev., and passenger David Knight, 45, of Stockton were trapped inside the cockpit and could not escape witnesses said. Investigators and witnesses said the aluminum plane, built from a kit manufactured in Oregon, was 20 to 40 feet above the runway after takeoff when its engine apparently died. The plane veered over a series of hangars before striking the pavement, skidding 30 feet into the motorized golf cart and sliding another 50 feet on its belly, witnesses said. James Burtlow, the golf cart's driver, saw the plane descend and leaped for cover in a nearby hangar moments before it hit the cart, Santa Paula police said. The carts are a popular means of transportation for airport employees. Grist, a Hawaiian Airlines captain who had flown between the West Coast and Hawaii since 1972, was unable to maneuver the plane's nose down for a safe landing, authorities said. He also was a certified flight instructor who regularly flew out of Santa Paula and conducted flight tests twice a year for local pilots seeking license renewals.
Tommy died as the pilot of a hand-built airplane after crashing into a golf cart shortly after takeoff from Santa Paula Airport in Ventura, California. His ashes were strewn in the ocean near Hawaii. Mourners in attendance went out on a boat and sang The Mickey Mouse Song as the ashes were strewn.
The following is a summary of an article in the Los Angeles Times:
Thomas Grist Sr., 51, a commercial pilot from Las Vegas, Nev., and passenger David Knight, 45, of Stockton were trapped inside the cockpit and could not escape witnesses said. Investigators and witnesses said the aluminum plane, built from a kit manufactured in Oregon, was 20 to 40 feet above the runway after takeoff when its engine apparently died. The plane veered over a series of hangars before striking the pavement, skidding 30 feet into the motorized golf cart and sliding another 50 feet on its belly, witnesses said. James Burtlow, the golf cart's driver, saw the plane descend and leaped for cover in a nearby hangar moments before it hit the cart, Santa Paula police said. The carts are a popular means of transportation for airport employees. Grist, a Hawaiian Airlines captain who had flown between the West Coast and Hawaii since 1972, was unable to maneuver the plane's nose down for a safe landing, authorities said. He also was a certified flight instructor who regularly flew out of Santa Paula and conducted flight tests twice a year for local pilots seeking license renewals.
The following is a summary of an article in the Los Angeles Times:
Thomas Grist Sr., 51, a commercial pilot from Las Vegas, Nev., and passenger David Knight, 45, of Stockton were trapped inside the cockpit and could not escape witnesses said. Investigators and witnesses said the aluminum plane, built from a kit manufactured in Oregon, was 20 to 40 feet above the runway after takeoff when its engine apparently died. The plane veered over a series of hangars before striking the pavement, skidding 30 feet into the motorized golf cart and sliding another 50 feet on its belly, witnesses said. James Burtlow, the golf cart's driver, saw the plane descend and leaped for cover in a nearby hangar moments before it hit the cart, Santa Paula police said. The carts are a popular means of transportation for airport employees. Grist, a Hawaiian Airlines captain who had flown between the West Coast and Hawaii since 1972, was unable to maneuver the plane's nose down for a safe landing, authorities said. He also was a certified flight instructor who regularly flew out of Santa Paula and conducted flight tests twice a year for local pilots seeking license renewals.
Gravesite Details
There is a memorial plaque for Tommy at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific; however, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea off the coast of Hawaii.
Family Members
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