Wisconsin Governor Candidate Tom Tiffany Swims to Safety After Small Plane Crashes Into Lake Wausau, Wisconsin

WAUSAU, Wis. — U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, said he is grateful to be alive after the small plane he was traveling in lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night, forcing him and his pilot to swim to safety as the aircraft sank beneath them.

Tiffany, 68, was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska when the single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza he was aboard lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot, 73-year-old Leonard Boltz of Pearson, Wisconsin, was forced to bring the aircraft down in the water. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the plane experienced a mechanical issue around 8:49 p.m. as it neared the airport.

Tiffany described the moments leading up to the crash during a news conference Sunday in Wausau, recalling the pilot’s warning just before impact. “As we went to our final approach, the plane lost power, and Len said to me: ‘We are going down. Pull your seat belt tight.’ That’s exactly what I did. I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight,” Tiffany told reporters. “And it was probably about 10 seconds later. Not sure the exact timing, but probably about 10 seconds later, we hit the water. And after the plane settled, probably a couple seconds, we looked at each other. ‘Are you OK?’ And he said to me, ‘Are you OK?’ And like, ‘Yeah, doing fine.’”

Tiffany said the impact was forceful despite the short descent, comparing the sensation to a car crash. “We were down to 70, 80 miles an hour at that point, and so it was a fast-moving car crash, and all that happened to me was my head hit the dash in front of me, and that was the extent of the damage,” he said.

After the plane hit the water, Tiffany said he and Boltz called 911 and waited on top of the aircraft as it began to fill with water and sink, before ultimately swimming roughly 150 feet to reach a shallow area of the lake where they could stand and wait for rescuers. In a statement posted on social media platform X shortly after the incident, Tiffany wrote: “The plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau. After landing, we called 911. 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.”

Emergency responders located both men in the water, described as “alert and conscious,” according to radio communications obtained by NBC News, and pulled them out at 9:05 p.m. via a Wausau Fire Department airboat. Both were transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment. Tiffany suffered a laceration above his right eye that required 12 stitches, while Boltz, whom Tiffany described as a retired Air Force pilot, received four stitches for his injuries. Both men were described as having sustained only minor injuries overall.

Tiffany credited Boltz’s experience and quick thinking with helping them survive the crash, specifically pointing to the pilot’s decision to raise the aircraft’s landing gear before hitting the water. “He was savvy and quick enough to pull the landing gear up. He might have saved us as a result of that,” Tiffany said, growing emotional as he spoke.

In his social media statement, Tiffany expressed thanks to those who came to their aid. “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, adding that the pair received “excellent care” at the hospital and that “both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries.” He also credited a higher power for the outcome, writing separately, “God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side. An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”

Tiffany’s Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, offered well wishes following the incident. “I’m grateful to God that Congressman Tiffany and no one else was hurt in this horrifying incident, which could have been a tragedy if not for the heroism of the pilot,” Crowley wrote on X. “I wish them and the Congressman a quick recovery and that they can find solace with their loved ones.”

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the aircraft remained in Lake Wausau following the crash, with a no-wake buoy placed near the wreckage and boaters urged to avoid the marked area until crews could remove the plane. Recovery operations for the aircraft were expected to begin Monday.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the plane’s sudden loss of power. Officials have said preliminary findings indicate the aircraft experienced a mechanical issue on its approach to the airport, though a full determination of the cause has not yet been released.

Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump in the state’s gubernatorial race, said doctors have placed him on a temporary flight ban, which will force him to miss some scheduled campaign stops, including a planned trip to Washington, D.C. Despite the setback, Tiffany said the incident would not derail his campaign. “I signed up for this job, I’m going to finish the job,” he said, vowing to be back out campaigning as early as Monday.

The Wisconsin gubernatorial race, in which Tiffany faces Crowley, is scheduled for November 3.