American Teen’s Solo Flight to Antarctica Lands Him in Legal Trouble — Now He’s Stranded
Teenage pilot Ethan Guo, who aimed to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents while raising funds for childhood cancer research, was detained by Chilean authorities after landing in Antarctica without official permission in June. Guo’s flight plan authorized travel only as far as punta Arenas, Chile, but he flew further to King George Island-a territory claimed by Chile-violating multiple national and international regulations. Detained at a Chilean military base, Guo’s plane is now grounded and not flightworthy, keeping him stranded during the Antarctic winter. A recent deal dropped the charges against him in exchange for a $30,000 donation to a children’s cancer foundation and conditions requiring him to leave Chile and not return for three years. While relieved by the resolution, Guo remains stuck on the island until weather and aircraft conditions allow departure. He began his journey to raise $1 million for cancer research inspired by his cousin’s diagnosis, accumulating over 700 flight hours and traveling through six continents prior to Antarctica.
Teen-age pilot Ethan Guo can finally go home — except that he can’t get there.
Guo landed in Antarctica in June without official permission, leading him to be detained by Chilean officials, according to the Associated Press.
Guo said he was on a fund-raising mission at the time, but officials were not impressed, and he was detained at a military base on King George Island, a part of Antarctica that Chile controls, CBS reported.
Although Guo’s lawyers and Chilean officials cut a deal Monday that ended Guo’s official detention, he’s still stuck because the Cessna plane he used to fly on his mission is no longer in working condition.
As noted by CBS, Guo began a trip to be the youngest person to fly to all seven continents. He also said the trip was a fundraiser for cancer research for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Guo and his Cessna 182Q had already hit North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe.
For his trip to Antarctica, officials said his flight plan went only as far as Punta Arenas in Chile. However, Guo flew to King George Island, 75 miles off the Antarctic continent’s coast.
Although he fulfilled his goal, he was detained on charges of violating the Chilean Aeronautical Code, which levies a fine or jail sentence for violators.
Chilean prosecutor Cristián Cristoso also said that Guo violated “multiple national and international” rules and that the trip was a risk to others.
Guo has remained on the island, imprisoned not by officials but by the weather, because it is winter in that part of the globe.
Cristoso said Monday that Guo’s plane “does not have the capabilities to make a flight.”
The deal cut Monday drops the charges, as long as Guo pays $30,000 to a children’s cancer foundation within 30 days. He is also required to leave Chile and not return for three years.
Guo also needs to pay for his “aircraft security and personal maintenance” while on the base and the costs of his departure, whenever that might be.
Guo said, he was “relieved by the outcome,” according to AP.
A report in USA Today said it was unclear when Guo will be able to leave the island to return to mainland Chile as a first step to going home.
On a fund-raising page, Guo said, he was “a 19-year-old Asian American pilot. I want to become the first person in history to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft and raise $1 million for cancer research.”
US teen Ethan Guo detained in Antarctica while venturing on solo flight to 7 continents to raise money for childhood cancer research https://t.co/ShvjEbDFfi pic.twitter.com/WAZbvTlxyx
— New York Post (@nypost) July 3, 2025
“My passion for aviation began at the age of 13. 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.
“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.”
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