Young American social media personality arrested in Antarctica
A 19-year-old American influencer and self-taught pilot, Ethan Guo, found himself in hot water after landing in Antarctica following an unauthorised flight. Guo, who had departed from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile, in a Cessna 182Q, was attempting to become the first person to fly solo to all seven continents.
However, the flight took an unexpected turn when Guo allegedly violated multiple national and international regulations by changing his flight plans without prior notice and landing on a part of Antarctica without permission from Chile. The airfield where he landed, Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base, is situated in Chilean Antarctic territory.
Chilean authorities stated that Guo's actions seriously endangered the safety of air traffic to Antarctica and the Magallanes region. They further claimed that Guo submitted a false flight plan indicating he would fly over Punta Arenas, but he continued toward Antarctica without authorization.
Guo's lawyer explained that he experienced complications during the flight, including rough winds, and that the flight was intended as an exploratory mission to see if a certain route was feasible. Despite these explanations, Guo was formally charged and a 90-day investigation was initiated.
During the investigation, Guo will remain in the Chilean sector of Antarctica and will not be allowed to return to Punta Arenas without permission. The influencer, who has more than a million followers on Instagram, embarked on this mission partly to raise $1 million for cancer research.
It is important to note that Chile maintains a territorial claim on the area where Guo landed. The case is ongoing, and Guo awaits further legal proceedings in Chile [1][2][3][4].
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59173575 [2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-antarctica-pilot/chile-detains-american-pilot-for-flying-to-antarctica-without-permission-idUSKBN28G11V [3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/18/chilean-authorities-detain-american-pilot-ethan-guo-after-flying-to-antarctica-without-permission [4] https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/americas/chile-detains-american-pilot-antarctica-intl/index.html
- Despite warranting an adventure travel story for his ambitious solo flight to all seven continents, Ethan Guo's general news headlines now revolve around crime and justice, as he faces charges for landing in Antarctica without authorization.
- The unexpected turn of events in Ethan Guo's lifestyle of constant travel has left many of his one million Instagram followers seeking updates on his criminal case, far from the usual postings of his adventure-travel escapades.
