Who is Ethan Guo? All about the teen influencer detained in Antarctica amid historic flight to 7 continents

Ethan Guo, 19, began a historic journey on a mission to take a solo flight to all seven continents. The primary objective of the adventure is to raise $1 million for cancer research.

According to a CNN report, as People cited, Chilean authorities detained the teenager on June 28, 2025. The authorities took action against him and charged him with submitting a fake flight plan and endangering air traffic.

Reportedly, he presented the document after departing from the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas's Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport.

Presently, Ethan Guo is staying in the Chilean Antarctic territory. As CNN noted, based on the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Prosecutor's Office's confirmation, he will remain there until the authorities allow him to head back to Punta Arenas.

A look at Ethan Guo getting detained in Antarctica

The CNN report confirmed that Ethan Guo was travelling alone on a Cessna 182Q aircraft. His aircraft, registered under the tail number N182WT, was used for this journey. As per the accusations against him, he took the aircraft off course to the continent.

For the legal proof, the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Prosecutor’s Office shared necessary information on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, stating that "a U.S. pilot" was the one to submit

"a false flight plan and landed on an airfield runway in Antarctica."

In the caption of the X post, it was noted,

"A U.S. pilot who landed without authorization in Antarctica was charged in Punta Arenas."

The outlet confirmed the Regional Prosecutor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Cristian Crisosto Rifo's statement, conveying,

"The accused provided false information to the aeronautical authority. He submitted a flight plan indicating that he was going to fly over the city of Punta Arenas."

Cristian further explained:

"However, he continued toward Antarctica without informing anyone and without any authorization, landing at the airfield of Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base in Chilean Antarctic territory. With this behavior, the accused seriously endangered the safety of air traffic to Antarctica and the Magallanes region."

As per the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica's Regional Prosecutor, CNN reported that the authorities took Ethan Guo into custody and officially charged him as soon as he landed in Antarctica.

He also remarked on the incident, adding,

"The accused not only violated the Aeronautical Code but also multiple national and international regulations regarding routes to Antarctica and access to the white continent."

Karina Ulloa, Ethan's attorney, set the facts straight while stating his side of the story to the media at a press conference on Sunday. According to the statement, he faced "a series of complications" when he was "already in the air."

Ulloa also added

"that he was conducting an exploratory flight to see if he could follow this route or not"

Everything we know about Ethan Guo

Last year, on September 24, the teen flying enthusiast announced the beginning of his adventure on Instagram. He embarked on the journey to explore seven continents and raise funds from Memphis, Tennessee.

Sharing clips of this thrilling experience, he confirmed in the caption,

"It’s official, day one of my flight around the world! We will be trying to raise a million dollars and a whole lot of awareness to help fight cancer! If you want learn more go to the website in my bio! If everything goes as planned, I’ll be the first person in history to fly solo to all seven continents."

Detailing the trip, Ethan Guo wrote,

"The journey started from M01 in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. After flying for five hours, I landed in KCBE, Maryland, for refueling. There, I met Gary, who works at the FBO. Gary is a liver cancer survivor, and we had a deep conversation about how cancer affects not only the patient but also those around them. Although I was on a tight schedule, our chat was meaningful, and I learned a lot from his experience."

Opening up further about the first day, he explained,

"After refueling, I departed for KTEB, New York, a two-hour flight. The views flying through the city were absolutely breathtaking. The day ended smoothly, but when I tried to check into a nearby hotel, they refused because I’m 18. After spending a few hours in the lobby, I was about go sleep at the airport, one of the receptionists felt bad and secretly let me check in."

He has been passionate about flying since his childhood

As People confirmed, Ethan Guo reflected on his zeal for flying on his website. He described,

"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."

While elaborating his mission and the plans to attain his goals, he wrote on the Ethan's Flight Against Cancer website,

"My goal is to set a world record as the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents."

According to his statements, he started the experience in Geneva, Switzerland, further mentioning,

"It includes stops in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, China, and Japan. I will then cross the northern Pacific to Alaska, continue through Canada and the USA, and finally head to South America and Antarctica."

Ethan Guo chose a "modified four-seater Cessna 182, with the rear seats removed to accommodate an additional fuel tank" as his companion on this trip. Discussing his abilities, he noted that he can remain airborne for a maximum of 17 hours "at a cruising speed of 140-150 knots." For safety concerns, he travels with a "satellite connection" to his ground team members. Additionally, he also has "three emergency locator transmitters on board."

According to an Aviation Direct report, Ethan's plan to execute the adventure includes flying to seven continents and covering more than 80,000 km in 100 days. With the objective to raise $1 million for childhood blood cancer research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, he also wants to become the youngest person in the world to explore every continent on a small flight.

What inspired Ethan Guo to pursue this dream?

As per an Aviation Direct report, he received his private pilot's license at 17. He jumped on the quest to be the youngest flyer to travel the world after knowing that a 19-year-old individual held the record. However, this was not the only reason to work relentlessly to achieve this goal.

Ethan joined the cause with a higher purpose by looking back on his real-life experiences. Years ago, one of his cousins received a stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis. The disease left an impact on his family, relatives, and the connection among them.

Noticing a shift in people's interactions and bonds affected the teen boy. It was at that moment that he realized taking a step was the need of the hour, as he was unhappy seeing the disease affecting his loved ones, even his aunts and grandparents.

The family dynamic influenced him to stand and initiate a route to increase awareness, let others know about the disease, and also support its research in every way possible.

Thus, he commenced his emotional yet impactful trip to fly all across the world, land on different continents, express his experiences, and also collect a million dollars.

According to the outlet, Ethan Guo shared,

"I want to inspire and help as many people as possible who suffer from this disease."

He further explained:

"I want to challenge the impossible and push my limits to help more people be aware and better understand cancer."

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