Chilean authorities arrested a 19-year-old American pilot and social media personality after he filed a false flight plan and piloted a plane to Antarctica on Saturday.
Departing from the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas, Ethan Guo took a major detour in his Cessna 182Q, according to CNN.
“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, according to CNN.
“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,” Rifo said.
Guo was detained and charged as soon as he landed.
“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,” Crisosto said.
Chilean prosecutors said Guo must remain detained in Antarctica until allowed to return to Punta Arenas, CNN reported.
During the ongoing investigation, Guo must remain in Chile, CNN reported
Guo’s lawyer, Karina Ulloa, told CNN that the pilot experienced some trouble during the flight.
“While already in the air, he began to experience a series of complications,” Karina Ulloa said, adding “that he was conducting an exploratory flight to see if he could follow this route or not.”
It’s no secret, however, that Guo had a goal of becoming “the first person in history to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft.”
According to his website, Guo was making the flights to raise $1 million for cancer research at St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“In 2021 my cousin was diagnosed with cancer. I admire him. He inspired me to take life more seriously and join the fight against cancer. I want to use every opportunity to raise awareness of childhood cancer and the necessity to increase research efforts to find prevention and treatment methods,” Guo wrote on his website.
According to the New York Post, the Memphis, Tennessee, resident began his trip in May.
At 19, Asian-American pilot Ethan Guo flies a Cessna 182 Skylane around the world—not for the ‘gram, but to become the youngest solo flier to cross all seven continents and raise $1M for cancer research.
After landing in Manila from Davao on Thursday, he’s set to fly to Japan. |… pic.twitter.com/5HlWXVqXEM
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) October 18, 2024
Guo had documented more than 100 days of his journey around the world on Instagram, where he has more than 1 million followers.
Prior to his Antarctic flight, Guo had already visited six of seven continents, CBS News reported.
“My passion for aviation began at the age of 13,” Guo’s states on his website. “I earned my private pilot license at 17. I am IFR-rated, which means that I can fly using instruments alone, without visual ground reference.
“I have flown to all 48 contiguous US states and crossed the Atlantic three times, amassing over 700 hours of flight time,” Guo wrote.
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