American pilot and social media influencer Ethan Guo has been released from a Chilean air base in Antarctica after being detained for two months for allegedly landing his plane illegally on Chilean territory.
Guo, 20, was freed on Saturday after reaching a settlement with Chilean authorities. As part of the agreement, he must pay a $30,000 (£22,332) donation to childhood cancer research within 30 days and is banned from entering Chile for the next three years. His lawyer, Jaime Barrientos Ramírez, confirmed his release and described him as “doing pretty well.”
“Of course, we do not agree with the legal process opened against him, but it has already been closed with a type of dismissal,” Barrientos said, as reported by CBS News.
Guo’s detention stemmed from a flight in June during his attempt to become the youngest pilot to fly solo across all seven continents. The Tennessee native was also raising funds for cancer research, hoping to collect $1 million (£740,300) for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
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After departing from Punta Arenas, near southern Chile, Guo flew his small Cessna 182Q aircraft to King George Island in Antarctica, an area claimed by Chile and home to multiple international research stations. Authorities accused him of filing a misleading flight plan that did not authorize travel beyond Punta Arenas. He was subsequently charged on 29 June with submitting false information and landing without authorization.
Those charges, however, were dropped by a judge last month, clearing the way for his conditional release.
Guo, who began his journey at 19, had already visited six continents before the Antarctic stop that led to his arrest. Despite the setback, he has expressed a desire to continue his mission once he leaves Chilean territory.
His brief incarceration highlights the legal complexities of air travel in contested and sensitive regions such as Antarctica, where multiple countries maintain overlapping claims and strict regulations on aviation activity.
For now, Guo must leave Chile immediately but remains free to pursue his record-breaking and philanthropic goals elsewhere.