U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, described a harrowing emergency landing Saturday night after the small plane he was riding in lost power and went down in Lake Wausau, forcing him and the pilot to swim to safety.
A Sudden Loss Of Power
Tiffany was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska aboard a single-engine Beechcraft K35 flown by pilot Leonard Boltz, 73, when the aircraft lost power on approach to Wausau Downtown Airport. "Hang on, Tom, and buckle up because we're going to go down," Tiffany recalled Boltz telling him moments before the plane struck the water at roughly 70 to 80 miles per hour.
Escaping A Sinking Plane
The impact left Tiffany with a laceration above his right eye that required stitches, while both men avoided more serious injury. As the aircraft began to submerge, the pair exited through the passenger door, called 911 from atop the sinking plane, and eventually swam roughly 100 to 150 feet to a point in the lake shallow enough to stand, where they were met by a fire department boat.
A Emotional Aftermath
Speaking to reporters Sunday, an emotional Tiffany said the gravity of the incident was only beginning to sink in, recalling that he and Boltz had tried to keep the mood light throughout the ordeal even while recognizing the seriousness of their situation. Wisconsin's Marathon County Sheriff's Office confirmed the timeline of the rescue, noting the pair spent about 20 minutes in the water before emergency responders located them.
Political Reaction And Next Steps
Tiffany's Democratic opponent in the governor's race, David Crowley, said he was grateful the congressman and pilot were safe and credited Boltz's handling of the emergency landing with preventing a tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the power loss, while Tiffany said the incident would not affect his campaign for governor.