Tom Tiffany, the Wisconsin Republican running for governor, says he swam to safety after the small plane he was in made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night.
Multiple outlets report Tiffany and the pilot exited the sinking single‑engine aircraft and swam to shore after the plane lost power approaching Wausau Downtown Airport, according to a statement Tiffany posted on his X account and reporting by PBS NewsHour and WPR.
Authorities say emergency responders reached the pair by airboat and the two were transported for medical evaluation; local television station WLUK reported they were treated and released from a hospital with minor injuries.
WPR identified the pilot as Leonard Boltz of Pearson and said the plane made the water landing just north of the airport in Lake Wausau on the Wisconsin River.
In a post on X, Tiffany wrote that the pilot made an emergency water landing after the plane lost power as they approached Wausau Downtown Airport and that they called 911 after getting out of the aircraft.
National outlets including NPR and the Washington Post carried the story, reporting that Tiffany — a U.S. congressman and the GOP nominee for governor — and the pilot escaped the sinking plane and sought shallow water before first responders arrived.
How the plane lost power is not yet publicly known; authorities and federal aviation investigators were cited by local and national outlets as examining the aircraft and the circumstances of the emergency landing.
The episode returned attention to aviation safety in small‑aircraft travel and to the campaign schedule for the Wisconsin governor’s race, with Tiffany continuing to be identified in coverage as the state’s Republican gubernatorial nominee and a sitting congressman.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour — reported Tiffany and the pilot swam to safety after an emergency landing in Lake Wausau.
- WPR (Wisconsin Public Radio) — identified the pilot as Leonard Boltz and located the landing just north of Wausau Downtown Airport.
- WLUK (Fox 11) — said both men were treated and released from a hospital with minor injuries.
- NPR — reported that Tiffany escaped a sinking plane and swam to shallow water after the water landing.
- The Washington Post — cited Tiffany’s account that the plane lost power and that he and the pilot called 911 after exiting the aircraft.
