Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany survived a late-night emergency water landing in Lake Wausau when his small plane crashed shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, while he was returning from an event in La Crosse County. The pilot announced they were going down moments before the aircraft hit the lake; both Tiffany and the pilot swam to safety after escaping the sinking plane. Both sustained minor injuries requiring stitches. An FAA investigation is underway, with the possibility of a National Transportation Safety Board involvement pending assessment of aircraft damage.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, had to swim to safety after his single-engine Bonanza aircraft made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau late on Saturday night. The incident occurred while Tiffany was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner. As the plane approached Wausau Downtown Airport and lost power, it landed in the lake; both Tiffany and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, managed to swim to shallow water where they awaited rescue by emergency responders.
Tiffany sustained minor injuries along with the pilot during this ordeal but was treated at a nearby hospital and later released. He expressed gratitude towards first responders who quickly arrived on the scene and helped them out of the water. The Federal Aviation Administration announced it would investigate the crash involving the Beechcraft K35 aircraft carrying two people.
The congressman's Democratic opponent, David Crowley, responded to the event by expressing relief that no one was seriously harmed, praising the pilot’s heroism in averting a potential tragedy.
Written for “Rep Tom Tiffany Plane Emergency Landing” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 8892 · logged 2026-09-14
Rep. Tom Tiffany expressed deep gratitude on Sunday following his survival of a terrifying late-night emergency water landing, alternating between tears and laughter as he described the ordeal.
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he → express → ordeal
The candidate for Wisconsin governor had been riding in a small plane that crashed into a lake.
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that → rid → lake
Speaking to reporters at a firehouse in downtown Wausau, the Republican lawmaker recalled the moments leading up to the crash.
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lawmaker → speak → crash
The pilot "said we are going down," Tiffany explained.
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Tiffany → say → ?
I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight.
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I → give → it
It was probably about 10 seconds later ... we hit the water."
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we → hit → water
After coming down in Lake Wausau, Tiffany and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, balanced on top of the aircraft until it began to submerge.
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it → come → aircraft
They then swam roughly 100 to 150 feet (30 to 45 meters) to reach shallow water where they could stand.
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they → swim → water
Reflecting on their narrow escape, the 68-year-old Tiffany remarked, "We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night."
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God → reflect → us
A statement from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office noted that the emergency landing took place just before 9 p.m. Saturday.
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landing → note → Saturday
After escaping the sinking plane, Boltz dialed 911, and the pair were rescued from the water by emergency personnel in a fire department airboat shortly after 9 p.m.
"
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pair → escape → p.m.
The gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point," Tiffany said Sunday, adding that despite the danger, "We were making jokes every step of the way last night, though we knew it was a serious situation, we tried to keep it light through the whole thing."
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we → hit → thing
The representative was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.
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it → return → Airport
Tiffany sustained a cut above his right eye that required 12 stitches.
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that → sustain → stitches
Boltz, whom Tiffany identified as a retired Air Force pilot, also suffered injuries and received four stitches.
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Tiffany → identify → stitches
After the accident, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley wished Tiffany a "quick recovery" in a post on X, while praising the "heroism of the pilot."
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Crowley → wish → pilot
Tiffany confirmed that the event would not alter or halt his gubernatorial campaign.
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event → confirm → campaign
A no-wake buoy was stationed near the aircraft, which remains underwater, while the sheriff’s office asked boaters to clear the area until the plane can be safely extracted.
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plane → station → area
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson confirmed the agency will investigate the crash.
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agency → confirm → crash
Meanwhile, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said their team is waiting for the FAA to determine whether the damage to the aircraft warrants a full NTSB investigation.
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damage → say → investigation
