An American teen influencer has been released after spending two months detained on a sub-zero Antarctic base.
Pilot Ethan Guo was detained in a Chilean military base in the ice covered continent after making an alleged unapproved landing.
Guo, who was 19 years old at the time, was cleared to fly over Punta Arenas in southern Chile but continued on unauthorised to Antarctica.
The young pilot, who has 1.6million followers on Instagram since earning his license aged 17, was attempting to raise $1million for cancer research by flying to all seven continents.
He also hoped to set a record as the youngest person ever to achieve the feat.
However, he was arrested after landing his Cessna 182Q on Chile’s Antarctic Territory, when authorities said he had breached his agreed route and produced false flight data.
The teen was then forced to endure months in the harsh Antarctic winter, where temperatures regularly dip below -10C.
Despite the cruel climate, Guo said he had been looked after by the Chilean people, who he said were ‘incredibly hospitable’ and treated him like family.
Guo had clocked up more than 700 flight hours, having crossed the Atlantic three times and travelled to 48 US states, Newsweek reported.
He was inspired to do his ambitious solo trip by his cousin’s cancer diagnosis in 2021.
His lawyer, Jaime Barrientos, said that Guo had received authorisation to land and was about to fly back to Punta Arenas when he was arrested.
He said: ‘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.
‘He [Guo] did receive authorization from Chilean authorities and landed due to poor weather conditions.’
Guo is now banned for three years from Chilean territory and must pay a $30k fine within 30 days.
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