An American teenage pilot has been detained in Antarctica after allegedly submitting a false flight plan and landing without permission during an attempt to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents.
Ethan Guo, 19, was detained by Chilean authorities on Saturday after taking off from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile. According to Regional Prosecutor Cristian Crisosto Rifo, Guo submitted a flight plan indicating he would fly over Punta Arenas but instead continued to Antarctica, landing at Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base in Chilean Antarctic territory without authorisation.
Guo's lawyer said he experienced “complications” during the flight. The teenager began his journey in Memphis, Tennessee, last May, aiming to raise $1 million for cancer research after his cousin was diagnosed with Stage-4 blood cancer. He has documented his progress on Instagram, where he has over one million followers.
Flying a Cessna 182Q, Guo has covered around 25,000 miles every 50 days, visiting multiple countries. Before setting off, he acknowledged the risks, citing an earlier engine failure that made him realise he “could die at any point.” Guo, born in Tianjin, China, and now living in West Palm Beach, Florida, started learning to fly at 13 and obtained his pilot's licence four years later.
