Latest news with #childrenscancerfoundation
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
US influencer claims innocence over charges laid for Antarctica plane landing
An American pilot and influencer who has been trapped in Antarctica for several weeks maintains that he is 'innocent' of the accusations against him. Ethan Guo was charged by Chilean authorities on June 29 with handing false information to ground control and landing without authorization, but on Monday a judge dropped the charges as part of an agreement with his lawyers and Chile's prosecutors. It requires the teen to give a $30,000 donation to a children's cancer foundation within 30 days to avoid a trial, leave the country as soon as conditions allow and is prohibited from reentering Chilean territory for three years. According to Guo's defense, the teen pilot was granted authorizations to deviate from his initial route — from Punta Arenas, southern Chile, to Ushuaia, Argentina — and land at Teniente Marsh base in Chilean Antarctica due to "weather and technical circumstances." 'My client's actions are protected by a presumption of legality arising from the authorizations expressly granted by various DGAC ( Directorate General of Civil Aviation) officials,' his lawyer, Jaime Barrientos, said in documents handed to the court. According to Barrientos, evidence was presented that 'Mr. Guo informed the DGAC as soon as possible of the change to the filed flight plan, receiving express authorization to land at said aerodrome." Guo, who turned 20 during his stay in Antarctica in July and has maintained his innocence, said in a statement that during his original journey, he 'encountered instrument failures and heavy, unreported icing conditions' which created 'an imminent risk of a crash.' '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," it said. The influencer added that the court's ruling last Monday was 'a direct result of the prosecutor's refusal to acknowledge this clear evidence.' The prosecutor's office has maintained in several interviews with local media that Guo has handed ' false information' to the respective authority and, by doing so, put at risk 'the safety of global air traffic.' 'What the background indicates is that he always had the will and the knowledge that he wanted to reach Antarctica at all costs, putting at risk not only his life, but also the safety of global air traffic,' prosecutor Cristián Crisosto told local Radio Bio Bio in an interview on Wednesday. Guo made headlines last year when he began a trip in an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and at the same time collect donations for research into childhood cancer. But for the past six weeks, he has stayed at the Chilean Air Force base where he landed in June. He was not forced to stay there, only to remain in Chilean territory, but because of the severe winter in that part of the southern hemisphere, no flights were available. He has also been unable to fly his small plane, whose future remains uncertain. Crisosto said that the plane would probably have difficulty leaving Antarctica because it does not meet the necessary regulations. 'That plane could leave Antarctica in pieces. But I don't see it flying,' he warned.
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Charges dropped against teen pilot detained in Antarctica
Charges against an American influencer and teen pilot who has been stranded on a remote island in the Antarctic since June have been Guo, 19, is alleged to have illegally landed his plane in Chilean territory after embarking on a solo trip to all seven continents to raise money for cancer research, according to local authorities. They accused him of providing false flight plan information to officials who detained him and opened an investigation. A judge has ordered him to leave the area, pay a $30,000 (£22,332) donation to a children's cancer foundation and is banned from re-entering Chilean territory for three years. Mr Guo made headlines last year when he began an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents and collect donations for research into childhood cancer. Having already visited six of seven continents, in June he flew his small Cessna 182Q aircraft from the city of Punta Arenas, near the southernmost point of Chile, to King George island off the Atlantic coast, which is claimed by Chile and named after the UK's King George III. He was taken into custody after landing on the island, which is home to a number of international research stations and their said he submitted a plan to fly over Punta Arenas, but not beyond that, according to CBS News, the BBC's US was charged on 29 June with allegedly handing false information to ground control and landing without authorisation, but these were dropped by a judge on Monday. "I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight," Mr Guo told the Associated Press (AP) news agency following the judge's ruling on Monday. "I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission."Mr Guo has been staying at a military base on the island for the last six weeks, AP reported. He was told he could travel to other parts of Chile but because of frigid temperatures was unable to leave the island, it Guo is hoping to become the first pilot to complete solo flights across all seven continents in the Cessna aircraft, and has already spent 140 days in the air on his travels. He decided to raise money for cancer research after his cousin was diagnosed with is aiming to raise $1m for cancer research at St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
