Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany Survives Emergency Lake Landing, Swims to Safety

Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany reported minor injuries after the aircraft he was traveling in made an emergency landing on a lake, forcing him and the pilot to swim to safety.

Tiffany, who is the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin, was traveling in a small aircraft on Saturday night when a mechanical failure compelled the pilot to execute an emergency landing on Lake Wausau, according to the county sheriff’s office.

Tiffany stated that he and the pilot contacted emergency services immediately after the plane touched down on the water.

“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,” Tiffany shared on social media. The pilot also sustained minor injuries in the incident.

Tiffany explained that the aircraft lost power abruptly while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport as he was returning from a dinner in La Crosse County.

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 report of a watercraft emergency at 20:49 local time. The occupants successfully evacuated the sinking aircraft and reached shallow water, where a Wausau Fire Department airboat rescued them approximately 15 minutes later, at 21:05 local time.

Officials confirmed that only Tiffany and the pilot were on board the Beechcraft K35, a single-engine Bonanza aircraft designed to carry up to five passengers.

“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side,” Tiffany remarked. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”

His campaign team noted that he sustained a minor cut above his right eye during the evacuation.

The exact cause of the mechanical failure remains under investigation, with authorities stating that both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the incident.

The aircraft remains submerged in the lake as emergency response teams coordinate its recovery and removal.

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