Ethan Guo freed in Antarctic flight dispute after donation

(NBC)- A 20-year-old pilot and social media influencer, Ethan Guo, set out on a mission to become the first person to fly solo to all seven continents — while raising money for childhood cancer research.

Guo promoted his ambitious journey on Instagram, acknowledging the challenges ahead: extreme weather, mechanical issues, vast oceans, and isolation. But what he didn’t anticipate were legal troubles and being stranded for weeks in the remote Chilean Antarctic.

Local authorities said Guo provided “false flight plan data” and illegally flew his single-engine Cessna to the continent. Speaking from the military base where he’s been stuck for over a month, Guo maintained his innocence, explaining that mechanical problems and harsh weather forced him to divert from his planned route through southern Argentina. He said he had received permission to land at his unexpected destination.

“The options available in South America were not great,” Guo told NBC News. “Because it is pitch black and I don’t have instruments, I cannot land safely at these airports in the middle of the mountains.”

This week, a judge dropped charges against Guo in exchange for a $30,000 donation to childhood cancer research and an agreement to leave the area as soon as weather conditions allow.

Guo says the situation remains frustrating. “It is quite frankly insane. They say I am free. They say the plane is free, but they won’t let me leave. They won’t let me fly it out,” he said.

For now, Guo remains in the Chilean Antarctic, waiting for conditions to continue his record-breaking mission.