Home · World · Sep 13 archive
Wisconsin GOP Governor Candidate Survives Emergency Lake Landing After Plane Sinks
Confirmed
In Short: Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany and a pilot escaped minor injuries after their plane made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.
Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany and a pilot escaped minor injuries after their plane made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night, according to reports.
The incident occurred as the small plane, a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza, lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport, according to a statement from Tiffany's campaign.
Tiffany and the pilot quickly called 911 after hitting the water, but the aircraft began to submerge, forcing them to exit the plane and swim to a shallow area, where they waited until emergency responders reached them by boat.
Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, said in a statement on X that he and the pilot were pulled from the lake and transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where they received excellent care.
The investigation is expected to be handed over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and may involve the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with further details likely to emerge as authorities examine the aircraft and circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.
Tiffany launched his campaign for governor in September 2025 and is currently the Republican nominee, facing Democrat David Crowley in the upcoming election.
What's confirmed
- Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany said he and a pilot escaped with minor injuries after their small plane lost power and made an emergency landing in a lake Saturday night.
- "The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau," Tiffany wrote 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," Tiffany said.
- U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a candidate for Wisconsin governor, wiped away tears and laughed as he shared how thankful he is to survive following a harrowing late-night emergency landing into a lake of the small plane he was riding in.
- Tiffany, a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, told reporters Sunday that the pilot said that the plane had lost power and to tighten his seat belt before they hit the water.
- The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m.
- Both he and the pilot swam to a shallow spot in Lake Wausau and waited until emergency responders reached them by airboat.
What's still developing
- Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin take aim at likely Democratic nominee Francesca Hong in a Fox News Digital interview.
- Rescue teams were called to reports of a downed plane with two people in the water, emergency services’ radio communications obtained by NBC News indicate.
- A report attributed to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said a private aircraft went into Lake Wausau at about 9 p.m.
- “As we went to our final approach, the plane lost power, and Len said to me, ‘We are going down. Pull your seat belt tight.’ That’s exactly what I did. I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight. And it was probably about 10 seconds later. Not sure the exact timing, but probably about 10 seconds later, we hit the water. And after the plane settled, probably a couple seconds, we looked at each other. Are you OK. And he said to me, ‘Are you OK?’ And like, yeah, doing fine,” Tiffany said.