WAUSAU, Wis. — Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany publicly recounted his survival following an emergency plane landing in Lake Wausau, affirming that the near-fatal incident will not deter his bid to become governor of Wisconsin. Speaking just one day after the water landing, an emotional Tiffany detailed the sudden mechanical failure that forced the small aircraft down and described his subsequent swim to safety.
The incident unfolded on Saturday evening as Tiffany and his pilot, Leonard Boltz, were nearing the conclusion of their flight toward the Wausau Downtown Airport. According to Tiffany, the journey had proceeded smoothly and without complication until the aircraft entered its final approach over the Wausau area. Without warning, the plane suffered a catastrophic loss of engine power, leaving the pilot with only seconds to react.
In the critical moments following the power failure, Boltz warned Tiffany that the aircraft could not maintain altitude and would be forced down into the lake. Boltz instructed the candidate to fasten and tighten his seatbelt as much as possible to brace for impact. Tiffany estimated that only about ten seconds passed between the pilot’s warning and the moment the aircraft struck the surface of Lake Wausau.
Following the impact on the water, both men were able to escape the cabin before the aircraft was pulled under. As the small plane began taking on water and steadily sinking into the lake, Tiffany and Boltz climbed onto the exterior of the fuselage in an effort to stay above the surface while assessing their options and waiting for help.
During the initial scramble to exit the cabin and climb onto the aircraft, Tiffany lost his mobile phone in the lake. Boltz, however, had managed to retain his phone during the crash, allowing him to quickly dial 911 and alert emergency dispatchers to their precise situation and location in the water.
Marathon County dispatchers received the initial emergency call reporting the downed plane in Lake Wausau at 8:49 p.m. on Saturday, September 12. Local emergency services were immediately dispatched to organize a water rescue operation to locate the sinking aircraft and its occupants.
While awaiting emergency personnel, the two men observed the plane sinking deeper into the water, making their position on top of the fuselage increasingly precarious. Recognizing that the aircraft would soon disappear completely beneath the surface, Tiffany and Boltz mutually decided that they needed to abandon the wreckage and swim toward the distant shoreline.
The pair swam approximately 150 feet through the water before Tiffany realized he had reached a shallow high point in the lake bed. Finding water shallow enough to stand in allowed both men to regain their footing and maintain their position safely above the water while waiting for first responders to locate them.
Emergency personnel from the Wausau Fire Department deployed a specialized airboat to navigate the lake and reach the stranded men. First responders successfully pulled Tiffany and Boltz from the shallow section of the lake, brought them aboard the airboat, and transported them safely back to shore.
Tiffany sustained a facial injury during the emergency landing, suffering a cut on his eyebrow that required medical stitches. Despite the injury, the candidate praised Boltz’s composure and aeronautical skill, commending the pilot for expertly managing the descent after the sudden loss of engine power.
On Sunday, Tiffany held a press briefing at the Wausau Fire Department to discuss the ordeal, walking into the facility hand-in-hand with his wife, Chris. The news conference was staged in front of the very airboat that had been deployed during the rescue, with nine firefighters and paramedics who assisted in the operation standing directly behind the candidate.
The press conference took place in the vehicle bay of the Wausau Police Department, where routine public safety announcements and medical dispatch calls periodically broadcasted over the room's loudspeaker. Tiffany paused his remarks each time an announcement sounded, and at one point, two of the uniformed firefighters standing behind him were called away to respond to an active emergency call.
Expressing his appreciation to the emergency crews, Tiffany presented the department with a fruit basket to thank them for their swift response and service. The candidate grew tearful at times during the address as he reflected on the danger of the crash and the dedication of the first responders who aided him and Boltz.
Tiffany acknowledged that the emotional weight and reality of the life-threatening crash were only beginning to sink in during the hours following the rescue. He shared that throughout the harrowing experience on Saturday night, he and Boltz had exchanged lighthearted jokes in an effort to keep the atmosphere calm, despite fully understanding the gravity of their situation.
Addressing the political implications of the incident, Tiffany made it clear that the emergency would not disrupt his campaign for Wisconsin governor. Pointing out that he had launched his gubernatorial bid in Wausau roughly one year earlier, Tiffany vowed to stay the course and finish the campaign he started.
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