Captain Alec Sam Grant was born in Cape Coast on Thursday, 20th October 1930 to the late Mr. Alec Grant Sam, a high school English teacher, and Mrs. Rose Aba Acquah.

He began his elementary education at Zion School in Cape Coast. In 1938, at the age of 8, he moved to Kumasi to live with his uncle, Mr. William Edu Sam, and his wife, Mrs. Netelka Theresa Edu Sam.

After completing elementary school, Alec attended St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, for his secondary education. His love for aviation was sparked during his childhood days in Kumasi, where he often visited the Kumasi Airfield (now Prempeh International Airport) to watch aircraft take off and land.

In 1947, he was awarded a government scholarship to study at the Air Service Training Centre in Hamble, Hampshire, UK. After five years of training, he qualified as a pilot in 1952 and returned to the Gold Coast.

He joined West African Airways (WAA), based in Lagos, Nigeria, operating flights along the West African coast. In 1958, he was transferred to Accra and recruited into the newly formed Ghana Airways. Captain Sam became one of the four pioneer pilots of the national airline, alongside Capt. Thomas Agyare, Capt. Kofi Ampomah, and Capt. Peter Dorkenu.

In the early years of Ghana Airways, Captain Sam frequently flew Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, on his official travels. Over the course of his distinguished career, he rose to become Chief Pilot and Training Captain on both the Vickers VC-10 and the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10.

He was recognized internationally for his skill, winning the award for Best Pilot for Flying Skill during his DC-10 type training. Notably, he captained the first leg of Ghana Airways’ maiden DC-10 flight from California to London in 1983.

He later served as Chief Pilot, Director of Flight Operations, and Deputy Managing Director (Technical) before retiring from active flying in 1992 after 38 years. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Managing Director of Ghana Airways, expanding routes and introducing direct flights to New York’s JFK Airport. His uncompromising leadership style earned him the nickname “Ayatollah”, which he wore with pride, as he valued honesty, discipline, and diligence.

After retiring in 1995, Captain Sam continued to contribute to aviation as a consultant. In 2013, he was appointed by the Government of Ghana to chair the Aircraft Accident Investigative Committee, which probed the crash of an Allied Air Boeing 727 cargo aircraft in Accra.

A devout Catholic, he was a parishioner at Christ the King Catholic Church, Accra, where he worshipped with his family. He later founded the Two-Hearts Prayer Group at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Tema. His life was guided by 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.” Prayer was his source of strength, and he often joked that if his wife passed before him, he would become a Catholic priest.

Captain Sam was married to Mrs. Nelly Regina Sam (nee Elliot), and together they were blessed with two children: Alec Grant Jnr. and Regina Rose.