Rep. Tom Tiffany Swims to Safety After Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Wisconsin Lake

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) swam to safety after his small plane made an emergency landing in Wisconsin’s Lake Wausau on Sept. 12.

“The plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport,” Tiffany shared in a social media post early Sunday morning. “The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.”

Tiffany, the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin, and pilot Leonard Boltz were the only people on board the Beechcraft K35, according to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.

The single-engine aircraft was made in 1959 and can hold up to five people, including the pilot.

The congressman was being flown 191 miles from Wisconsin’s Burlington to Antigo, according to flight records from the tracking website FlightAware.

“As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat,” Tiffany said.

The Wausau Fire Department’s airboat rescued the men just after 9 p.m. and transported them to Aspirus Wausau Hospital with minor injuries.

“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side,” the congressman added. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”

Tiffany received stitches above his right eye and was released from the hospital on Saturday night. The pilot was released, too.

“We thank God that neither of us suffered more serious injuries after the plane we were traveling in lost power,” Tiffany wrote in his post on Sunday.

As of Sunday morning, the plane “remains in Lake Wausau,” per the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.

“A no-wake buoy has been placed near the aircraft,” the sheriff’s office shared on Facebook.

“Boaters are asked to avoid the marked area and use caution until crews can remove the aircraft.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the incident.

Tiffany easily won the Republican nomination during the gubernatorial primary in mid-August and will face off against Democratic candidate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in the general election.

The Democratic primary was closely watched as Crowley narrowly defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong, a candidate aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America who once suggested Americans “Cancel Thanksgiving.”

The race between Tiffany and Crowley is considered a toss-up, according to the Cook Political Report.