Victor Grubbs, Captain of Pan Am

On the 27th of March, 1977, Victor Grubbs (captain of Pan Am Flight 1736) was fifty-seven years old and was a 21,000-hour pilot.  His plane that day, called the Clipper Victor, was actually the first 747 which Pan Am had purchased from Boeing. 

When Captain Grubbs was first told about the terrorist activity at Las Palmas, he asked for permission to hold instead of divert to Tenerife.  He had enough fuel and believed that a holding pattern would benefit his passengers, especially those who had originally boarded the plane in California. 

His request was denied, however, so Grubbs and his crew had to land at Tenerife where they joined many other waiting aircraft.

In this historical Pan Am photo, Victor Grubbs is second-from-left.