PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — An American social media influencer, stuck at a Chilean airbase in Antarctica for two months after being charged with submitting a false flight plan, made it back to the mainland on Saturday.
Ethan Guo, who was just 19 when he started his journey to raise funds for cancer research, had set out to become the youngest individual to fly solo across all seven continents.
However, he faced brief detention as Chilean authorities accused him of misleading officials by submitting “false flight plan data.” Prosecutors indicated he was only permitted to fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile, but he continued further south toward Antarctica in his Cessna 182Q, a versatile, single-engine light aircraft.
Authorities said that they authorized him to land in a Chilean airbase in Antarctica only because he reported an emergency.
Guo landed in Chile’s Antarctic territory on June 28 and, after a short arrest, he was released. Though not confined to the airbase, he had to stay within Chilean territory. The severe winter conditions that gripped the region rendered flights unavailable, preventing him from piloting his small aircraft.
Originally from Tennessee, Guo turned 20 during his two-month stay at the base, enduring limited communication and harsh Antarctic winter temperatures that dipped below zero.
A Chilean judge dismissed the charges against him following an agreement to circumvent a trial. This deal required him to make a $30,000 donation to a children’s cancer foundation within a month and to exit the country promptly. Additionally, he is prohibited from entering Chilean territory for three years.
The influencer’s lawyer, Jaime Barrientos, told The Associated Press that Guo landed because he had to divert his aircraft due to poor weather conditions, and that he did receive authorization from Chilean authorities.
“To his surprise, when he was about to take off back to Punta Arenas he was arrested, in a process that from my perspective was a total exaggeration,” Barrientos said.
Barrientos said he was happy with the agreement struck with authorities.
Guo arrived Saturday at Punta Arenas aboard a navy ship wearing a Chilean national soccer team jersey and appeared friendly with the press after disembarking, describing his detention as a “mundane” experience with “limited freedoms.”
“The Chilean people have been incredibly hospitable, they’ve been fantastic people. They’ve taken care of me. They’ve taught me Spanish, and they’ve treated me like family,” he said.
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