The Aporia · ‘We are going down’: Congressman reveals terrifying escape from sinking plane

‘We are going down’: Congressman reveals terrifying escape from sinking plane

Read the original at The Independent ↗

Cite

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Farrell, P. (2026, September 14). ‘We are going down’: Congressman reveals terrifying escape from sinking plane. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tom-tiffany-plane-crash-wausau-b3049751.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

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 AI on 2026-09-14, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin running for governor, had to swim to safety after his single-engine Bonanza aircraft lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport late on Saturday night. The plane made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau, and both Tiffany and the pilot exited the sinking aircraft and swam to shallow water where they awaited rescue by boat. Emergency responders transported them to a nearby hospital, where they received treatment for minor injuries before being released.

The incident occurred as Tiffany was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Wisconsin. The Federal Aviation Administration stated it would investigate the crash of a Beechcraft K35 with two people aboard. Tiffany expressed gratitude toward emergency responders and the pilot, noting that God had been looking after them during the ordeal.

Tiffany's Democratic opponent, David Crowley, responded by saying he was "grateful to God" that no one else was hurt in what could have been a tragic event if not for the heroism of the pilot.

Written for “Wisconsin Congressman Lake Landing” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

59/100

The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-14 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3464 article(s) · 8 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Paul Farrell

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 40 articles by Paul Farrell →

Topics

911 Republican Wausau Wisconsin the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office

Subjects

Tiffany ORG · 8× Boltz PERSON · 2× Air Force ORG · 1× Democratic NORP · 1× Leonard Boltz PERSON · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Tom Tiffany PERSON · 1× Wausau GPE · 1× Wisconsin GPE · 1× the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office ORG · 1×

Narrative

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."

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-14

🔮 They then swam roughly 100 to 150 feet (30 to 45 meters) to reach shallow water where they could stand.

2026-09-14 · The Independent

‘We are going down’: Congressman reveals terrifying escape from sinking plane · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 1 hedged)

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. asserted

he → express → ordeal

The candidate for Wisconsin governor had been riding in a small plane that crashed into a lake. asserted

that → rid → lake

Speaking to reporters at a firehouse in downtown Wausau, the Republican lawmaker recalled the moments leading up to the crash. asserted

lawmaker → speak → crash

The pilot "said we are going down," Tiffany explained. asserted

Tiffany → say → ?

I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight. asserted

I → give → it

It was probably about 10 seconds later ... we hit the water." asserted

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. asserted

it → come → aircraft

They then swam roughly 100 to 150 feet (30 to 45 meters) to reach shallow water where they could stand. uncertain

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." asserted

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. asserted

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. " asserted

pair → escape → p.m.

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. asserted

it → return → Airport

Tiffany sustained a cut above his right eye that required 12 stitches. asserted

that → sustain → stitches

Boltz, whom Tiffany identified as a retired Air Force pilot, also suffered injuries and received four stitches. asserted

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." asserted

Crowley → wish → pilot

Tiffany confirmed that the event would not alter or halt his gubernatorial campaign. asserted

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. asserted

plane → station → area

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson confirmed the agency will investigate the crash. asserted

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. asserted

damage → say → investigation