Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and a pilot escaped a sinking aircraft Saturday night after the plane lost power near a Wisconsin airport and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau.
Both men sustained minor injuries and were released from the hospital overnight, according to Trending Politics, which cited Tiffany’s campaign and local reporting about the rescue.
In a post on X, Tiffany described calling 911 after the landing and leaving the aircraft as water began overtaking it.
“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,” he wrote.
The congressman was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska when the aircraft encountered trouble while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport.
Tiffany was the only passenger aboard the four-seat, single-engine Beechcraft K35 Bonanza. The pilot was identified as Leonard E. Boltz, 73, of Pearson.
The aircraft had been scheduled to land at the airport before the loss of power forced Boltz to bring it down on the nearby lake.
The emergency water landing occurred around 8:49 p.m., according to the report. Tiffany and Boltz remained in shallow water while waiting for rescuers.
A Wausau Fire Department airboat reached the pair at 9:05 p.m., approximately 16 minutes after the initial report.
Emergency personnel brought both men off the water and transported them to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment.
Tiffany’s campaign said he suffered a cut above his right eye that required stitches. Both occupants were treated for injuries described as minor before being discharged.
The campaign also said Tiffany planned to speak with reporters Sunday in Wausau about the incident.
Tiffany thanked Boltz, the Wausau Fire Department and other emergency responders in his public statement, crediting them with getting both occupants safely to medical care.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly,” he wrote.
He also praised the hospital staff and said he was thankful that neither he nor the pilot suffered serious injuries.
The aircraft remained partially submerged west of the airport, with its tail extending above the surface of Lake Wausau.
Authorities marked the location with a no-wake buoy and asked boaters to avoid the area until the aircraft could be removed.
Tiffany is the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor and represents the state’s 7th Congressional District, Reuters reported.
He is scheduled to face Democratic nominee David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, in the Nov. 3 election.
Crowley expressed relief that the incident had not resulted in serious injuries and credited the pilot’s actions with preventing a tragedy, according to Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the emergency landing, Trending Politics reported.
The agencies will investigate the loss of power. The initial account described a mechanical problem during the approach but did not identify the specific component involved or establish what caused the aircraft’s power failure Saturday night.
