An American teen has been trapped in Antarctica for five weeks after an ‘illegal’ charity flight to the frozen continent.
Ethan Guo, a 20-year-old influencer was attempting to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents, when he landed at a remote Chilean military base on Antarctic territory in June. He has been stuck on at the base ever since.
Police say Guo lied to aviation officials by filing false flight plan information that indicated he would only fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile.
Instead, he pushed further south in his single-engine Cessna 182Q and landed in Chilean Antarctic territory without authorization.
Chilean prosecutors charged Guo on June 29 with providing false information to ground control and landing illegally.
On Monday a judge agreed to drop the charges under a deal between prosecutors and Guo’s lawyers.
The condition is that he is required to donate $30,000 to a children’s cancer charity within 30 days, leave Chile as soon as possible and stay out of the country for three years.
Guo told the Associated Press he is ‘relieved by the outcome’ in a text message.
Ethan Guo, a 20-year-old influencer who was attempting to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents, has been stuck in a remote Chilean military base since June
Police say Guo lied to aviation officials by filing false flight plan information that indicated he would only fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile
‘I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight,’ Guo told the outlet.
‘I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission.’
Daily Mail reached out to Guo for comment.
For the past six weeks Guo has been staying at a military base due to the harsh winter weather, which as has grounded regular flights out of the area.
Guo’s own plane has been deemed unfit to fly by Chilean officials.
Prosecutor Cristián Crisosto said the Cessna, a light aircraft better suited to regional trips, ‘does not have the capabilities to make a flight.’
Guo started his journey in Memphis, Tennessee. Before leaving for Antarctica he had already travelled to six out of the seven continents: North America, South America Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
In May he admitted to feeling afraid during his journey but said that he remained positive.
For the past six weeks Guo has been staying at a military base due to the harsh winter weather which as has grounded regular flights out of the area
‘To be honest, many times I am scared,’ Guo told KTVU. ‘It’s not a guarantee that I’ll be able to complete this journey and on many fronts there are risks.
‘But I think if you have something that you believe in and you find something that you believe is worth fighting for, I think even with the risk you should take it on.’
‘What I say to people is: Aim as big as you can, break it down to digestible steps.
‘Work towards it step by step,’ he said.
