David H. Holladay, 73, Expert in Air Safety
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David H. Holladay, a specialist in aviation safety, died on Sept. 4 at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. Mr. Holladay, a resident of Jamul, Calif., was 73. The cause was heart failure, said Craig DeRousse, his stepson. Mr. Holladay became a licensed pilot when he was 18, and he spent his career flying and working in the aviation industry. In 1964, he started Aviaction, a consulting firm for aviation safety with clients that included NATO and more than two dozen countries. After starting Aviaction, Mr. Holladay was an investigator and consultant on more than 500 investigations of aviation accidents. Mr. Holladay learned to fly at age 15, joined the Army Air Force and rose to be a captain in the Air Force Reserves. In 1947, when he was 22, he was in a near-fatal plane crash. The accident, and a plane crash he saw when he was 9 years old in Orangeburg, S.C., inspired his interest in safety, Mr. DeRousse said. Mr. Holladay received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Southern California in 1971, and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University in 1976. After he retired from the Air Force in 1969, Mr. Holladay became head of the safety curriculum in the aerospace department at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He continued to teach at U.S.C. until 1970. He is survived by his wife, Carol, of Jamul; his stepson, Craig, of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; four sons from a previous marriage, David Jr., of Pittsburgh; Mark, of Maui, Hawaii; Kevin, of Hermosa Beach, Calif.; Kyle, of Las Vegas, N.M., and one granddaughter. Source : query.nytimes.com |