Influencer stuck in Antarctica after taking an illegal detour on trip to 7 continents

A teenage pilot aiming to fly solo to all seven continents has been detained after he landed in a part of Antarctica he wasn't authorised to. American influencer Ethan Guo was taken in by Chilean authorities, who accused him of changing his plans and taking a detour without obtaining permission to land in Antarctica. Guo started the "flying solo" challenge in September last year. Chile says Guo landed in an Antarctic region where the country has a territorial claim. Prosecutors say he broke "multiple national and international regulations" when he took off after submitting a fake plan and then turning the plane towards Antarctica midway.

Chile says that Guo submitted a flight plan that he didn't stick to. He 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. The aircraft was registered as N182WT. However, he rerouted and turned the plane towards Antarctica. Meanwhile, his lawyer says that it wasn't intentional, and he did so after experiencing problems mid-air. Also Read: 34-million-year-old world discovered buried deep inside Antarctic ice

Guo accused of hiding his intentions to land in 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,” Cristian Crisosto Rifo, the Regional Prosecutor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, said. He added that the 19-year-old "continued toward Antarctica without informing anyone and without any authorisation, landing at the airfield of Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base in Chilean Antarctic territory." Rifo said Guo's actions "seriously endangered the safety of air traffic to Antarctica and the Magallanes region."

Also Read: Pieces of lost continent found under Antarctica and India point to one thing

Guo is aiming to raise $1 million for cancer research with this solo adventure trip around the world, according to its website. He has over a million followers on Instagram who have been following his journey to the continents since he first took flight in 2024. His last post was from the Philippines on 23 June. Now he is stuck in the Chilean region of Antarctica and can't leave until he is granted permission by the authorities to go to Punta Arenas. Even after he is allowed to leave Antarctica, he cannot leave Chile for 90 days, the time set by a court to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Karina Ulloa, his lawyer, that he had to change his plans after experiencing “complications” while flying. “While already in the air, he began to experience a series of complications," she said, adding that Guo claims “that he was conducting an exploratory flight to see if he could follow this route or not.”