Congressman Rescued After Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Lake

Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican from Wisconsin, recounted a harrowing experience involving an emergency landing in a lake. On a Saturday evening, a small single-engine plane carrying Tiffany and pilot Leonard Boltz lost power as it neared Wausau Downtown Airport.

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office reported that Boltz managed to land the plane on Lake Wausau. Tiffany described the situation in a post on X. “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,” he wrote.

The congressman, who is Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, was on his way back from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska at the time of the incident.

Lt. Cory Gladden from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office explained that the 911 alert came from one of the plane’s occupants. “They were able to exit the plane and made the call while they were basically standing on top of the plane,” he told Wisconsin Public Radio.

According to the timeline provided, Tiffany and the pilot were in the water for about 20 minutes before rescuers reached them. Initial assessments indicate mechanical failure as the cause of the power loss.

Tiffany also shared that he received stitches above his right eye and was released from the hospital shortly after. Boltz was treated for minor injuries, as confirmed by the Sheriff’s Office.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. Wisconsin Public Radio’s Hope Kirwan contributed additional insights to this report.