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New York Times
03-07-2025
- New York Times
Teenage Aviator Detained After Landing in Antarctica, Chile Says
A 19-year-old American content creator who was trying to fly solo to all seven continents was detained by the Chilean authorities this week after they said he had landed his plane on an island off Antarctica without authorization. The teenager, Ethan Guo, said in an interview on Thursday that he was being housed at a Chilean base on King George Island, roughly 75 miles off the coast of Antarctica, as the case against him proceeds. Chilean officials said on Thursday that although Mr. Guo had initially been detained, he was now free to leave the island as long as he remained in Chile until his case is resolved. Mr. Guo had been documenting his journey around the world on TikTok, where he has more than 329,000 followers, and Instagram, where he has about 1.3 million followers. Mr. Guo, who obtained his pilot's license at 17, was aiming to become the first person to fly solo in a small aircraft to all seven continents, according to his website, and was hoping to raise $1 million for cancer research. Antarctica was the only continent where he had yet to land, he said. On Saturday at about 5:30 a.m., he took off from Punta Arenas, a city near the southern tip of Chile, with a flight plan indicating that he was going to fly over the city and land again in Punta Arenas, prosecutors said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
American teen detained in Antarctica while attempting solo flight to 7 continents
An American teenager was detained on an Antarctic island while attempting to pilot his small plane to every continent, said Chilean authorities, who have charged him for allegedly submitting a false flight plan. Ethan Guo, 19, gained an online following by documenting his trip around the world, which lasted well over 100 days and had already taken him to six continents prior to the Antarctic voyage, according to his website and social media posts. Guo said he hoped to become the first pilot to complete a solo flight across all seven continents in a small Cessna, a feat that simultaneously aims to raise $1 million for cancer research through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. On his site, the teen cites his cousin's 2021 cancer diagnosis as his source of inspiration. Guo's latest Instagram posts chronicled part of his path over southeastern Asia. But authorities in South America say he went on to traverse the Pacific Ocean, ending up in Chile before making his way toward Antarctica. Snow covers the landscape at King George Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica, on Nov. 25, 2023. Jorge Saenz / AP According to Cristian Cristoso Rifo, the regional prosecutor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Guo departed from the airport in the city of Punta Arenas, near the southernmost point of Chile, and proceeded to conduct an unauthorized flight to King George Island. Located off the Atlantic coast, the island is claimed by Chile as part of its Atlantic territory. The young pilot landed his plane at the island's Teniente R. Marsh Airport, where he was detained, Cristoso said in a video statement shared to social media on Monday. The prosecutor's office charged Guo for violating two articles of the Chilean Aeronautical Code, including one that calls for either short-term imprisonment or a fine brought down on anyone who lands in Chilean territory without legitimate authorization. Guo allegedly submitted a flight plan that indicated his plans to fly over Punta Arenas, but not farther than that, according to Cristoso. The prosecutor said that in addition to his alleged breaches of the aeronautical code, Guo violated "multiple national and international" rules governing access to Antarctica and the routes taken to get there. His unauthorized flight also posed safety risks for air traffic to the frozen continent, Cristoso added. CBS News has reached out to Guo for comment.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- CTV News
U.S. teen influencer detained in Antarctica while attempting solo flight to 7 continents
Ethan Guo poses for a photo in Geneva, Switzerland, in August. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP via CNN Newsource) A teenage pilot, who is attempting to fly all seven continents solo, hit a patch of rough air this weekend when Chilean authorities detained him for changing his flight plan without their permission and landing in Antarctica. Chilean prosecutors say American influencer Ethan Guo, 19, broke 'multiple national and international regulations' by changing his flight plans without prior notice, landing on a part of Antarctica where the South American country maintains a territorial claim. CNN requested a comment from Guo, whose lawyer on Sunday said the young pilot had experienced 'complications' while flying. Guo, whose website states he is trying to raise $1 million for cancer research by becoming 'the first person ever to fly to all seven continents solo,' has broadcast his continent-hopping journey since last September to more than a million Instagram followers. His last post, on June 23, documents a flight over the Philippines. Chilean authorities say that on Saturday, Guo submitted a false flight plan and took off from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas as the sole passenger and crew member aboard a Cessna 182Q aircraft, registered as N182WT. At one point during that flight, authorities say he turned off course toward Antarctica. 'The accused provided false information to the aeronautical authority. He submitted a flight plan indicating that he was going to fly over the city of Punta Arenas,' said Cristian Crisosto Rifo, the Regional Prosecutor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica. 'However, he continued toward Antarctica without informing anyone and without any authorization, landing at the airfield of Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base in Chilean Antarctic territory. With this behavior, the accused seriously endangered the safety of air traffic to Antarctica and the Magallanes region,' the prosecutor added. Cristoso explained that as soon as Guo landed in Antarctica, he was detained and formally charged. 'The accused not only violated the Aeronautical Code but also multiple national and international regulations regarding routes to Antarctica and access to the white continent,' emphasized Crisosto. On Sunday, his lawyer told reporters at a press conference after Guo was charged that the young pilot experienced 'complications' while flying. 'While already in the air, he began to experience a series of complications,' Karina Ulloa said, adding that Guo claims 'that he was conducting an exploratory flight to see if he could follow this route or not.' CNN requested a comment from Ulloa on Tuesday. The Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Prosecutor's Office determined on Sunday that the teen must remain in the Chilean sector of the frozen continent until authorities give him permission to return to the city of Punta Arenas. The Chilean court decreed a 90-day investigation period for this case, during which time Guo must remain in Chile.
