Stuntman’s Family Reaches Settlement in Tragic Burning Man-Inspired Festival Accident

A tragic incident at a Burning Man-inspired beach festival has led to a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit involving a stunt pilot from “Top Gun: Maverick.” This follows the unfortunate death of 34-year-old Tanya Hendry, who tragically lost her life after an ATV accident near Harmony Headlands State Park in San Luis Obispo County, California, in December 2020.

Hendry was aboard a Can-Am all-terrain vehicle that plummeted off a cliff during the event. While the party’s host, Jonathan Spano, along with driver Maria Arayza-Alvarez and another passenger, managed to survive, Hendry was not as fortunate. Her family described her passing as a “horrific and excruciating death by drowning” in their lawsuit.

The festival, organized by Spano, was a response to his disappointment over the cancellation of Burning Man due to the pandemic. Known for his role as a stunt pilot who provided aerial support for “Top Gun: Maverick,” Spano found himself embroiled in legal troubles when Hendry’s family filed the lawsuit in 2022, coinciding with the release of the film.

This incident underscores the potential risks associated with unsanctioned events, especially those held in challenging environments. The settlement highlights the ongoing consequences of the tragic accident and the responsibilities event hosts bear, even when born out of a desire to replicate large-scale, popular gatherings.

Spano hosted the festival on the remote beach because he was frustrated Burning Man had been canceled during the pandemic.

The stunt pilot, who provided a jet and flew for Top Gun” Maverick, was sued by Hendry’s family the same year the movie was released in 2022.

They accused Spano of neglecting “to take precautions at his cliffside property,” and that he had a history of hosting parties with drug use.

The Hendry family attorneys also said the leaser of the ATV, Khaled Azar, and Spano “actively encouraged, aided and abetted” the woman who drove drunk off the cliff that night.

Spano was expected to go to a jury trial over the civil suit but on February 17 reached out to Henry’s family with a settlement agreement. The exact details have not been released.

The ATV driver, Arayza-Alvarez, pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the incident and spent several months in prison.

Hendry worked as a bartender and an artist at the time of her death. The restaurant she worked at called her death “an unbelievable loss.”

A memorial post read: “She was always the first to start a fundraiser, give freely, or pass around a card when someone was down on their luck or had an occasion to mark. She loved her friends hard and we are so thankful that we got to call her one.”

In a November 2024 interview with Rotortrade, Spano said he had been in aviation for 15 years and was “obsessed” with airplanes, gliders, helicopters. “My passion is for aviation and flying,” he said.

He was part of the team who won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Top Gun.

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