US teen pilot agrees to donation to suspend proceedings in Antarctica landing case
An American pilot and influencer who has been stuck on Chilean territory in Antarctica agreed to a deal that would see him make a large donation to avoid a trial on charges connected to landing on the continent, according to American and Chilean reporting.
A Chilean court suspended proceedings against Ethan Guo, a teen influencer who intended to fly to all seven continents to fundraise for children's cancer research on Monday, Aug. 11, according to Chilean newspaper La Tercera.
Chilean prosecutors alleged that the influencer had provided authorities with false flight plan data and "multiple national and international" rules regarding access to Antarctica, according to CBS News.
Guo must make a $30,000 donation to Fundación 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 in Antarctica in messages with Paste BN through his Instagram account Aug. 12. A timetable for his return to mainland Chile is unclear, Guo said.
"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," Guo's lawyers Sean Croft and Jordan Johnson said in a statement provided to Paste BN Aug. 13.
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 to 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."
Photos in a media kit provided Aug. 13 by one of Guo's representatives show Jan Carlo Oneto, Head of the Aerodrome Services Subdepartment of DGAC, responding "yes" with a thumbs up emoji to a request to land at the Chilean airport.
“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.
The statement added that Guo's original destination was Ushuaia, Argentina and that Guo encountered instrument failures and unreported icing conditions.
"Due to bureaucratic confusion over flight rule permissions, Chilean officials suggested he circle in darkness over Tierra del Fuego before proceeding to Ushuaia at sunrise," the Aug. 13 statement reads.
La Tercera quoted another of Guo's lawyers, Jaime Barrentos, as saying, "the prosecutor's office made decisions with partial information provided by DGAC."
"The legal ordeal was a direct result of the prosecutor’s refusal to acknowledge this clear evidence," the Aug. 13 statement says.
Guo said hardest part of flying is 'paperwork'
In a profile before the flight with The Patriot Ledger – a part of the Paste BN 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.
This story was updated to include video and add new information
Contributing: David R. Smith – The Patriot Ledger