U.S. influencer Ethan Guo speaks with journalists at an event about his donation to children’s cancer rehabilitation programs, at the “Fundacion Nuestros Hijos” headquarters in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
U.S. influencer Ethan Guo, left, talks with his lawyer Jaime Barrientos prior to an event for his donation to children’s cancer rehabilitation programs in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
U.S. influencer Ethan Guo, right, stands with Marcela Zubieta, director of “Fundacion Nuestros Hijos” at an event about his donation to children’s cancer rehabilitation programs in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
U.S. influencer Ethan Guo waits for the start of an event about his donation to children’s cancer rehabilitation programs, at the “Fundacion Nuestros Hijos” headquarters in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
US pilot Ethan Guo donates $30,000 to children’s foundation after Antarctica plane landing
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) 鈥 American pilot and influencer Ethan Guo, who was stuck more than two months at a Chilean air base in Antarctica, made a $30,000 donation Tuesday to a children鈥檚 cancer foundation under an agreement with local authorities to avoid trial after landing on the white continent in June.
U.S. influencer Ethan Guo speaks with journalists at an event about his donation to children’s cancer rehabilitation programs, at the “Fundacion Nuestros Hijos” headquarters in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) 鈥 American pilot and influencer Ethan Guo, who was stuck more than two months at a Chilean air base in Antarctica, made a $30,000 donation Tuesday to a children鈥檚 cancer foundation under an agreement with local authorities to avoid trial after landing on the white continent in June.
Guo had been charged June 29 with providing false information to ground control and landing without authorization a day earlier at the air base, but a judge in August dropped the charges as part of an agreement with his lawyers and Chilean prosecutors.
The agreement called for the pilot to make the $30,000 donation as soon as conditions allow and then leave the country within 30 days of completing the donation. Guo also was prohibited from reentering Chilean territory for three years under the terms of the agreement.
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Guo, who was 19 years old when he began his , was attempting to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents.
But he was briefly detained after landing because Chilean authorities said he lied to officials by providing authorities with 鈥渇alse flight plan data.鈥 Prosecutors said he had been authorized to only fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile, but that he kept going south, heading for Antarctica in his single-engine Cessna 182Q.
Authorities said that they authorized him to land in a Chilean air base in Antarctica only because he had reported an emergency.
鈥淲e are satisfied with the 鈥榓lternative solution鈥 we have achieved,鈥 Guo鈥檚 lawyer, Jaime Barrientos, told reporters Tuesday in Santiago. The donation, he added, is part of a set of conditions that allowed for 鈥渢he immediate closure of the case once approved by the judge.鈥
The influencer, now 20, has denied any wrongdoing.
According to Guo鈥檚 lawyer, the teen pilot was granted authorization to deviation from his 鈥 and land at a Chilean air base in Antarctica due to 鈥渨eather and technical circumstances.鈥
After landing, the influencer was briefly detained and then released. Though not barred from leaving Antarctica, he was told to remain in Chilean territory.
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Guo, however, had to remain at the remote Chilean military base until just days ago for lack of any commercial flights serving Antarctica. He finally managed to return to continental territory last weekend aboard a Chilean navy icebreaker, disembarking Saturday at Punta Arenas.
Guo’s plane will remain in Antarctic territory until an agreement is reached for a Chilean pilot to fly it, according to his lawyer.
The influencer said Tuesday he remains committed to his fundraising mission for cancer research. The war against cancer is 鈥渁 continuous battle that we all have to put our efforts into. And I鈥檓 just trying my best to do what I can to help,” Guo told reporters in Santiago.
Regarding his more than 60 days in Antarctica, he acknowledged that it was a 鈥減retty hard” period.
鈥淚t definitely was a challenge but I think with every challenge there is an opportunity to learn,” he said.
