United States Representative Tom Tiffany, who is currently running as the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin, survived an emergency water landing Saturday night after the small aircraft he was traveling in experienced a severe mechanical failure and came down in Lake Wausau.
The incident occurred late on the evening of September 12 as the single-engine aircraft was on its final approach to the nearby municipal airport. Both Congressman Tiffany and the pilot, identified as Leonard Boltz, managed to evacuate the sinking fuselage and were subsequently brought to safety by local emergency personnel.
First responders transported both men to Aspirus Wausau Hospital to receive medical attention for minor injuries sustained during the crash and subsequent water evacuation. Campaign officials confirmed that Tiffany suffered a cut above his right eye that necessitated stitches, but he was treated and discharged from the facility later that same night.
According to preliminary findings shared by the Marathon County Sheriff's Office, the aircraft encountered critical mechanical trouble as it lined up to touch down at Wausau Downtown Airport. Statements released by Tiffany's campaign corroborated the initial assessment, noting that the small plane suffered a sudden loss of engine power mid-flight, leaving the pilot with limited options other than an emergency touchdown in the adjacent lake.
As the plane struck the water and quickly began to submerge, Tiffany and Boltz managed to extricate themselves from the cabin. The two occupants then swam through the dark water toward a shallower section of Lake Wausau while contacting emergency dispatchers to report their exact situation and request immediate assistance.
The Marathon County Emergency 911 Communications Center received the initial distress call reporting the downed aircraft at approximately 8:49 p.m. Within roughly sixteen minutes of that first alert, a specialized airboat crew deployed by the Wausau Fire Department arrived at the shallow area, successfully extracting both men from the water by 9:05 p.m.
The emergency operation drew a swift, coordinated response from numerous regional and state public safety bodies. In addition to the Wausau Fire Department, emergency crews on the scene included the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, the Wausau Police Department, the Wisconsin State Patrol, SAFER Fire/EMS, and wardens from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Following his release from medical care, Tiffany issued a public statement reflecting on the harrowing ordeal and expressing gratitude for the timely rescue. The lawmaker noted that faith and quick action played a crucial role in their survival, sharing that he was recuperating alongside his wife, Chris, and remarking that such close calls underscore the fragility of life. Tiffany's team also announced plans for him to address reporters directly during a news conference in Wausau on Sunday afternoon.
The incident prompted immediate expressions of support across party lines. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is running as the Democratic candidate against Tiffany in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, issued a public message extending his best wishes to both Tiffany and Boltz for a full, rapid recovery as they reunited with their families following the accident.
The site of the forced landing, Lake Wausau, sits directly adjacent to the northern edge of the runway at Wausau Downtown Airport. Department of Natural Resources records indicate that the body of water features an average depth of roughly 7 feet, with its deepest points reaching approximately 30 feet, which allowed the occupants to reach relative shallows after exiting the aircraft. Local authorities noted the downtown airfield should not be confused with the larger Central Wisconsin Airport situated about 14 miles south in Mosinee.
By Sunday morning, the four-seat aircraft remained submerged in the lake near the airport perimeter. Sheriff's deputies positioned a specialized no-wake buoy around the perimeter of the wreck to prevent watercraft collisions, and officials issued a formal advisory requesting that all local recreational boaters avoid the marked zone until salvage operations could safely extract the plane from the water.
Investigators identified the downed plane as a Beechcraft K35, a model belonging to the well-known Beechcraft Bonanza family of civil utility aircraft. Historical aviation records reflect that early models of the Bonanza line earned a severe reputation and the morbid moniker "Doctor Killer" due to a cluster of notable mid-20th-century aviation disasters involving high-profile passengers, though subsequent decades saw substantial advancements in pilot safety training.
Aviation history notes several prominent political figures who have been involved in past Beechcraft Bonanza mishaps, including a 1947 fatal crash in inclement weather that claimed the lives of the governor of Oregon and several state leaders, as well as a 1975 crash that killed a sitting member of Congress from California.
Federal authorities have officially stepped in to determine the root cause of Saturday night's power loss. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office confirmed that both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were formally notified of the accident and will oversee the comprehensive technical investigation into the aircraft's mechanical systems.
Tiffany, who has represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2020 after previously serving in both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature, is expected to continue his campaign schedule following medical clearance and his public briefing regarding the incident.
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