Pilot raising money for cancer research stuck in Antarctica
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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
American influencer stuck on island off Antarctica for six weeks
It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and the island is a crusted, windswept landscape of ice and snow. Temperatures have been well below freezing, with frequent snow showers. Chilean officials stated that it would be unsafe for Guo to fly over the Drake Passage, the treacherous body of water between Chile and Antarctica, due to its rough weather and poor visibility. A Chilean air force plane crashed over the Drake Passage in 2019, killing 38 people. Advertisement Chilean officials have said that commercial airline service to the island will not resume until winter ends. In a statement on Wednesday, Chile's aviation authority said that Guo was free to leave the island as soon as he could finance a trip on a Chilean ship or arrange a flight to Punta Arenas, on the southern tip of Chile. Advertisement However, the aviation authority said Guo cannot fly his own Cessna off the island because it has expired life rafts and life jackets and lacks an anti-icing system. In addition, 'there is no certainty that the remaining fuel on the aircraft will be enough to reach the city of Punta Arenas,' about six hours away, the agency said. Guo said he does not want to leave the island without his Cessna and believes the plane is in good condition with enough fuel to reach South America. With no resolution to the standoff, he said, he has been spending 99 percent of his time alone in his room, downloading books like the science fiction 'Foundation' series by Isaac Asimov, about a group of exiles trying to save humanity on a remote planet, and trying to press his case to Chilean officials. 'It's very hard and it's really isolating and lonely,' he said via Zoom. 'That means, like solitude — like, you know, confined solitude.' Guo had been on a mission to fly to all seven continents. He was hoping to raise $1 million for cancer research and was documenting his travels on Instagram, where he has 1.4 million followers. He began the trip in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 31, 2024, he said. His Instagram videos chronicle misadventures like engine troubles, storms, and his brief detention in Myanmar, as well as happy moments posing next to the pyramids in Egypt and flying over picturesque lakes in Switzerland. Advertisement Antarctica was the only continent he had not landed on when he took off from Punta Arenas on June 28. He was planning to fly to Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, he said. Instead, he landed hundreds of miles away at Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport, a Chilean airfield on King George Island. Chilean officials detained him there and accused him of submitting a 'false flight plan' that he never intended to take and of landing without authorization. They said his actions jeopardized public safety. Guo disputed that accusation. He said that after he took off from Punta Arenas before sunrise, the instruments that allowed him to navigate in the dark began malfunctioning. Ice began forming on his plane, making it harder to fly. He lost communication with air traffic controllers, he said. He also began to lose airspeed. He flew over the ocean to avoid hitting mountains and headed for Antarctica, which he said was the closest place to land. 'I was like, 'I don't care what's going to happen,'' Guo said. 'Like, this is an emergency. I need to get down.' Fire trucks surrounded his plane after it landed, he said, and he was stunned to see 'a bunch of dudes just pull up in black suits' and tell him that he was being detained at Chile's outpost on the island, President Eduardo Frei Montalva Base. As his case played out in a Chilean court, he appeared before a judge via Zoom. On Monday, a Chilean judge approved the deal to dismiss the case after Guo's lawyers gave prosecutors flight records, air traffic control recordings, and other evidence to substantiate Guo's account. The file included a screenshot of a WhatsApp chat that, the lawyers said, shows a Chilean aviation official replying 'yes' with a thumbs-up emoji when Guo asked if he could land at the airfield on King George Island. Advertisement Guo said he was relieved that the case had been resolved, but frustrated that it took so long. He said he just wants to fly off the island and return to Memphis, where his saga began more than a year ago. 'I'm fighting for my right to fly,' Guo said. 'I'm fighting for my right to continue this mission to raise $1 million.' But he added, 'Nothing is concrete yet.' This article originally appeared in
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
20-year-old American pilot stuck in Antarctica for weeks after legal drama over airport landing
A 20-year-old American pilot who is traveling across the globe to raise money for childhood cancer research has been stuck in Antarctica for more than a month after he was accused of illegally landing on the continent. Ethan Guo began his journey in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 2024 to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Guo, who was 19 at the time he began the voyage, has been documenting his trip on Instagram. In late June, his journey around the world derailed after he landed his single-engine Cessna 182Q in a remote location in Chilean territory in Antarctica. Chilean authorities alleged that he was not authorized to land at the airport on King George Island and provided false flight plan data, a press release states. He was charged on June 29 with handing false information to ground control and landing without authorization, The Associated Press reported. But Guo and his legal team have denied that he illegally landed on the continent, saying that he got permission via a text message on WhatsApp from a senior official with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. In a statement, his lawyers said 'due to bureaucratic confusion over flight rule permissions,' Chilean officials told Guo to circle in the dark over Tierra del Fuego in South America before continuing his flight to Ushuaia, Argentina. 'While doing so, he encountered instrument failures and heavy, unreported icing conditions caused by high cloud cover over the Andes,' his lawyers said. The conditions created 'an imminent risk of crash' so Guo diverted over the ocean. 'Once over the ocean, he experienced engine-related issues,' they said. 'Due to these cascading failures, Mr. Guo requested and received explicit, direct permission to land at the Marsh base from a high-ranking DGAC official via WhatsApp, an authorization that was subsequently confirmed by the base's air traffic controller.' Jaime Barrientos Ramírez, an attorney for Guo, shared a screenshot of his message to the official. 'Can I land at SCRM,' he asked, referring to the King George Island airport. The official responded, 'Yes' with a thumbs-up emoji. On Monday, the charges against Guo were dropped as part of an agreement that he donate $30,000 to a children's cancer foundation in Chile. Officials said he has 30 days to make the donation and is also prohibited from entering Chilean territory for three years. In a series of posts on X, Guo said that his case had been dropped, but officials still won't let him fly out. According to the AP, the region is experiencing harsh winter weather and there are no flights available for Guo to take to leave. 'It's quite frankly insane," he told "NBC Nightly News" on Wednesday. "They say I'm free, they say the plane is free, but they won't let me leave. They won't let me fly it out.' Guo said his food is rationed at the Antarctic air base and his communication with the outside world is limited. In an Instagram Story, Guo wrote that his plane is 'in flying condition,' but officials 'won't let me fly back.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Influencer Pilot, 19, Still 'Stuck' in Antarctica After Case Was Suspended, Claims Officials 'Won't Let Me Fly Back'
The pilot was arrested on June 28 and accused of landing in Antarctica without permission NEED TO KNOW Influencer Ethan Guo, 19, speaks out after his alleged detainment in Antarctica, following accusations he landed on Chilean territory without permission Guo, who aims to raise $1 million for cancer research, was arrested on June 28 and later agreed to donate $30,000 to a local charity and avoid Chilean territory for three years Despite reports he is allowed to leave, Guo claims he remains stuck in Antarctica, sharing his story in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Aug. 14 Influencer Ethan Guo is speaking out following his alleged detainment after being accused of landing on Chilean territory in Antarctica without permission. PEOPLE previously reported that Guo, 19, began his journey at Genève Aéroport in 2024 "to become the first person in history to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft. The influencer also plans to raise $1 million for cancer research, per his website. However, Guo was arrested on June 28 by authorities and accused of landing in Antarctica without permission and submitting a false flight plan. He was granted permission to leave Antarctica six weeks after the arrest. This came after he agreed to donate $30,000 to a children's cancer foundation within 30 days and not to reenter Chilean territory for three years, PEOPLE reported earlier this month. In a statement to PEOPLE obtained on Thursday, Aug. 14, the pilot claimed that he's been unable to leave Antarctica. Related: "I've maintained from the very beginning that I am innocent, so I'm grateful to finally have that officially recognized," he said. "This process has been lengthy, and I believe it could have been resolved much sooner had all evidence been considered from the start." "I'm still in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight, and I sincerely hope that clearance will be granted soon so I, and my plane, can continue on my original mission of raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital," he concluded. Guo also said he was "grateful" and "relieved" that the charges against him have been dropped, per ABC News. He claimed that he's lost weight during his alleged detainment on the island, saying he felt like a "prisoner" and that authorities "won't let me leave," according to the outlet. Guo's lawyer also told ABC News that "despite his exoneration, the Chilean government has not allowed him to fly his airworthy plane off the base." PEOPLE has contacted the Chilean national law enforcement for comment. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The content creator also claimed that authorities had told him he couldn't leave due to a number of reasons, including poor weather, the plane not being in the right condition, there not being enough fuel and their belief that Guo is not skilled enough to fly. "All four of those statements are objectively false," Guo told ABC News. "I have all the paperwork. I have insurance that even covers Antarctica. The plane has enough fuel, the plane is working. And I am a qualified pilot." Guo also said he wouldn't be able to use a boat to depart due to its infrequent schedule. He added that his goal is to return to his journey. "I want to be able to continue to fight against cancer and continue the mission," he said. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Guo's representatives at Croft & Johnson LLP, wrote, "Despite his exoneration, the Chilean government has not allowed him to fly his airworthy plane off the base, resulting in his de facto confinement on the island for a month and a half." 'The stress of this ordeal has caused a severe deterioration in his health, including a 10kg weight loss and a diagnosis of pericarditis (inflammation of the heart's outer membrane)," the statement continued. Guo also shared the letter on his Instagram Stories before writing in another post that he was 'free' and that the plane was 'in flying condition.' 'But I'm still stuck in Antarctica because they won't let me fly back,' he added. He then linked a St. Jude Fundraising page that has so far raised $134,677 out of a $1,000,000 goal. Read the original article on People
