Ethan Guo, a 20-year-old American pilot and social media influencer, was released Saturday from a Chilean air base in Antarctica after being detained for about two months on allegations he landed his aircraft on Chilean territory without permission.
A Chilean court ordered Guo to make a $30,000 donation and barred him from entering Chilean territory for three years. He must also leave the country as soon as possible and is expected to make the donation to childhood cancer research within 30 days, his lawyer said.
Chilean authorities accused Guo of submitting a false flight plan before flying a small Cessna 182Q from Punta Arenas, near Chile’s southern tip, to King George Island. The island, claimed by Chile and home to multiple international research stations, is also known by a British name referencing King George III. Guo was taken into custody after landing there and initially faced charges of providing false information to ground control and landing without authorisation; a judge later dismissed those criminal charges.
Guo began the trip at 19 in an effort to become the youngest person to fly solo to every continent while simultaneously raising money for cancer research. He had visited six of the seven continents and was aiming to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he has said fundraising is the primary purpose of the journey.
"He is doing pretty well," Guo’s lawyer, Jaime Barrientos Ramírez, told CBS News, which is a U.S. partner of the BBC. "Of course, we do not agree with the legal process opened against him, but it has already been closed with a type of dismissal," the lawyer added, as reported by the U.S. outlet.
Chilean authorities said the flight plan Guo filed covered a route over Punta Arenas and did not authorize landing beyond that point. Officials maintain that aircraft operations in Antarctic territories require specific permissions because of environmental protections, safety considerations and the presence of international research facilities.
Guo, who is originally from Tennessee, has said previously that he plans to resume his original mission once he is able to leave the military base. The legal disposition imposed a financial penalty and entry ban rather than a sustained criminal sentence, and his attorney indicated the case has effectively been closed.
The incident highlights the regulatory and jurisdictional complexities of aviation in Antarctic regions, where multiple countries maintain research stations and assert territorial claims under differing interpretations. Chile, like several nations, administers permissions for flights and landings in areas it considers part of its Antarctic territory.
Officials at the Chilean base did not immediately provide further public comment on the terms of Guo’s release. The pilot’s legal team said he would comply with the court’s order, including the donation to childhood cancer research.