Rep. Tom Tiffany survives emergency Lake Wausau plane landing

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany survived an emergency landing into Lake Wausau on Saturday night when the small plane he was riding in lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The Republican, a candidate for Wisconsin governor, was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in a single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.

“We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night,” the 68-year-old Tiffany said.

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday. The pilot, Leonard Boltz, called 911 after the pair got out of the plane. They were rescued by emergency responders in a fire department airboat just after 9 p.m.

Tiffany told reporters at a downtown Wausau firehouse that the pilot said the plane was going down.

“‘Pull your seat belt tight.’ I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight. It was probably about 10 seconds later … we hit the water,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany said he and Boltz remained on top of the plane in Lake Wausau until it began sinking before deciding to swim to shore. He said they swam about 100 to 150 feet until they reached water shallow enough to stand in.

“The gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point,” Tiffany said Sunday. “We were making jokes every step of the way last night, though we knew it was a serious situation, we tried to keep it light through the whole thing.”

Tiffany said he suffered a cut above his right eye that required 12 stitches. Boltz, a retired Air Force pilot, also suffered cuts and received four stitches.

He said the incident will not impact his gubernatorial campaign.

David Crowley, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, wished Tiffany a “quick recovery” in a post on X and lauded the “heroism of the pilot.”

A no-wake buoy was placed near the plane, which remained in the lake, and boaters were being asked to avoid the area until the plane can be removed, the sheriff’s office said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency would investigate the incident. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said that agency is waiting for the FAA to assess the plane as to whether the damage was substantial enough for it to get involved.