Ethan Guo, teen pilot, agrees to deal in Antarctica landing case
Guo must make a $30,000 donation to Fundacion Nuestros Hijos within 30 days and agree to be banned from Chilean territory for three years, according to La Trecera. Chilean television station 24Horas reported that the donation must be paid within 72 hours of Guo's return to continental Chile and that he must cover the cost of his plane's stay at a Chilean military base in Antarctica.
He told the Associated Press that he was "relieved by the outcome" following the ruling.
"I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight," Guo told the wire service through text messages Aug. 11. "I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission."
Guo confirmed he remained on Antarctica in messages with USA TODAY through his Instagram account Aug. 12. A timetable for his return to mainland Chile is unclear, Guo said.
Why was Ethan Guo on Antarctica?
Guo began a "trip around the world" in Sept. 2024 to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and documented the trip on his Instagram page.
He had reached six of the seven continents in his Cessna 182Q before flying to Antarctica.
He flew to King George Island, an island off the coast of Antarctica that Chile claims as its territory, on June 28 and was detained at the airport there, according to CBS News.
Prosecutors alleged that Guo was cleared to fly to Punta Arenas but not continue onto the island, according to La Tercera.
The newspaper reported that Guo's defense filed a letter pointing to WhatsApp communications between Guo and officials at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, where a "senior DGAC official expressly responds to Ethan Guo that he can land" at the airport on King George Island for "safety reasons."
"While already in the air, he began to experience a series of complications," Karina Ulloa, one of Guo's lawyers, told CNN. She added that Guo was on an exploratory flight to ensure the ability to fly the route.
La Tercera quoted another of Guo's lawyers, Jaime Barrentos, as saying, "the prosecutor's office made decisions with partial information provided by DGAC."
Guo said hardest part of flying is 'paperwork'
In a profile before the flight with The Patriot Ledger - a part of the USA TODAY Network - the Milton, Massachusetts native foreshadowed the logistical roadblocks he would encounter.
"Flying isn't easy. It's harder than driving a car, but the hardest part is the logistics and paperwork," said Guo, who told the paper that he would be submitting the necessary permits and documents for each country on the flight.
Guo began flying at 13 and already holds a record as the youngest person to fly to all 48 contiguous states, a feat he accomplished at 17, not long after earning his pilot's license.
Guo had attempted the flight around the world in 2023 in the additional hope of becoming the youngest person to complete the global trek. That journey, though, was grounded before it started.
On his approach to the Memphis airport in September 2023, his plane encountered a partial power failure at 12,000 feet.
Contributing: David R. Smith - The Patriot Ledger
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