Teen influencer detained for a month after landing in Antartica makes deal so he can leave continent
Ethan Guo, 19, has been trapped for almost two months after Chilean officials accused him on violating the nation's airspace and "multiple national and international" laws during the June leg of his trip, according to CBS News.
Since 2024, Guo, he has travelled to six out of the seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia – stopping at hospitals along the way to meet with child cancer patients, and discuss raising awareness with experts and medical professionals. He documents his journey on social media while raising funds for cancer research.
It was during a flight out of Chile that Guo ran into trouble. Chile controls the airspace at and around the tip of South America and maintains territorial claims and a base in Antarctica.
Chilean officials accused Guo of submitting a false flight plan before he left from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas. They claim that Guo deviated from his pre-approved flight plan - which would have taken him to Ushuaia, Argentina - and traveled to Antarctica instead.
On Monday, a judge ruled that Guo can leave King George Island, which is roughly 75 miles off Antartica, if he donates $30,000 to a children's cancer foundation within 30. He has also been banned from reentering Chilean territories for three years.
Guo agreed to the terms and told the Associated Press that he was "relieved by the outcome."
"I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight," Guo told the AP. "I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission."
He told the New York Times that his time at the base has been quiet and lonely, and that he's passed the time by reading science fiction books.
'It's very hard and it's really isolating and lonely,' he said in video call with the Times. 'That means, like solitude — like, you know, confined solitude.'
Guo told the Times that he only landed at the Chilean base because ice was forming on his plane, causing him to lose control.
The teen added that he lost contact with local air traffic controllers and he was losing speed. Guo said that he needed to land, and the Antarctic base was the closest safe haven.
'I was like, 'I don't care what's going to happen,'' Guo told the paper. 'Like, this is an emergency. I need to get down.'
He said he's unsure of exactly when he'll fly back to continental Chile, or how he'll get off King George Island, where he's currently staying.
Chile's aviation authority said the young pilot could leave as soon as he pays for transportation off the island. He's been barred from flying his own plane off the island because, according to Chilean authorities, his on-board life rafts and life vests are expired and because his plane does not have a functioning anti-icing system.
Officials also noted that "there is no certainty that the remaining fuel on the aircraft will be enough to reach the city of Punta Arenas," which is about a six hour flight from the base where Guo is being detained.
Guo told the Times he does not want to leave his Cessna behind and believes it's in good enough condition to make the flight.
Guo not forced to stay on the island at any point, but the brutal winter conditions in that part of the southern hemisphere means that flying wasn't an option, AP repots.
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