US pilot and influencer released from Chilean Antarctic detention 2 months after alleged unauthorized landing
A 20-year-old American pilot and influencer who was attempting to become the first pilot to fly solo to all seven continents has been released from Chilean detention in Antarctica after more than two months.
Ethan Guo, of Tennessee, who was hoping to raise $1 million to fight cancer with his trip, was detained in June after he landed his Cessna 182Q in Antarctica without permission, Chilean authorities alleged, claiming he presented "false flight plan data."
When he arrived back in Punta Arenas, Chile, on Saturday, on a navy ship, he met the press while wearing a Chilean national soccer team jersey, describing his detention as "mundane" and with "limited freedoms."
"The Chilean people have been incredibly hospitable, they’ve been fantastic people," he told reporters. "They’ve taken care of me. They've taught me Spanish, and they've treated me like family."
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Authorities said he was only authorized to fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile, but he continued to fly south toward Antarctica.
His lawyer, Jaime Barrientos, told the Associated Press that he had to divert due to bad weather, claiming Chilean authorities gave him permission to land in Antarctica.
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"To his surprise, when he was about to take off back to Punta Arenas he was arrested, in a process that from my perspective was a total exaggeration," Barrientos said.
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The charges against Guo were dropped last month and on Saturday he was released to the mainland.
He is required to donate the tens of thousands of dollars he has raised to a cancer charity within 30 days and cannot return to Chile for three years. He must leave the country as soon as possible.
After landing at King George Island in Antarctica on June 28, Guo remained at the base with temperatures well below zero with limited communication as the Chilean government and his lawyers negotiated.
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He turned 20 while he was detained in July.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.