19-year-old American Ethan Guo flies his small aircraft to 6 different continents, gets detained by Chilean government for illegal entry into Antarctica

A 19-year-old US pilot, Ethan Guo, who is on a mission to fly solo to every continent, is being held by Chilean authorities after flying into a Chilean-claimed section of Antarctica without permission.

Guo, who is also an Instagram social media influencer with more than one million followers, departed Punta Arenas, a city in southern Chile, last week. He was flying by himself in a Cessna 182Q aeroplane with registration N182WT. He had filed a flight plan indicating he would travel close to the city of Punta Arenas, but along the way, he diverted and flew directly to Antarctica instead.

Ethan Guo landed at Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base, a Chilean airfield in the region of Antarctica. Chilean authorities say that Guo was not authorised to land there and that he provided false flight details. Cristian Crisosto Rifo, the Regional Prosecutor of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica region, mentioned that Guo’s act violated a number of national and international regulations and also threatened the safety of other flights.

Guo’s lawyer says that the teen did not mean to end up in Antarctica and only did so because he experienced technical issues during the flight. Prosecutors, however, say that he hides his true intentions from aviation officials.

Guo started his “Flying Solo” journey in September 2023 to travel to all seven continents solo. The trip is also a fundraiser for cancer research, and he aims to raise $1 million. His most recent post on Instagram was from the Philippines on June 24, and fans were eagerly awaiting an update since reports of his arrest came through.

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A post shared by Ethan Guo (@ethanguo.rtw)

On Wednesday, Guo finally posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “I’m alive, everyone, I’ll make an update soon.”

I’m alive everyone, I’ll make an update soon. https://t.co/wbSoCcJ5XD

— Ethan Guo (@TheEthanGuo) July 3, 2025

For now, Guo remains in the Chilean part of Antarctica and can’t leave until officials permit him to return to Punta Arenas. Even after that, a Chilean court has said he must stay in the country for 90 days while they investigate the case.