U.S. Rep.Tom Tiffany (R-W), who is running to become the governor of Wisconsin, had to swim to safety Saturday night after the four-seat, Bonanza airplane the 68-year-old congressman was traveling in lost power and had to ditch in a lake in the dark of night.
“While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport,” the four-term House member said in the 10:02 p.m Saturday post on X, not two hours after the mishap.
“The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau,” he said, his account confirmed by the local sheriff’s office.
The closest shoreline of Lake Wausau is about two miles south of downtown, a small city of some 40,000 residents located about 90 miles west of Green Bay. The lake is fed by the Wisconsin River, which runs through the heart of the town.
The emergency landing was made sometime before 9 p.m., a good hour after sunset, according the 8:49 emergency call received, according to the Marathon County Sheriff’’s Office.
The plane didn’t float very long, according to the congressman.
“After landing, we called 911. 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 said.
Only two people were aboard. Sheriff’s office records showed first responders reached Tiffany and 73-year-old pilot Leonard Boltz by 9:05 p.m., just 16 minutes after their 911 call.
The sheriff’s office identified the airplane as a Beechcraft Bonanza K35. It is a single engine V-tail generation aircraft that was only manufactured in 1959, according to aviation sources.
Tiffany praised the skill of the pilot and the quick response from those who came to their rescue, writing:
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly. They got us safely off the water and transported us to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where we received excellent care. Thankfully, both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries.
Tiffany, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, secured his party’s nomination for governor of in the Wisconsin primary, bolstered by the support of President Donald Trump.
His Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, David Crowley, said in a post on X he was “grateful to God that Congressman Tiffany and no one else was hurt in this horrifying incident, which could have been a tragedy if not for the heroism of the pilot.”
“I wish them and the Congressman a quick recovery and that they can find solace with their loved ones,” Crowley added.
In his post, Tiffany credited a Higher Power with his safe rescue.
“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side,” he wrote. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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