A four-seat plane carrying Congressman Tom Tiffany lost power over Wausau, Wisconsin, and the pilot put it down in a lake to save both men aboard.
Story Snapshot
- Representative Tom Tiffany’s plane lost power approaching Wausau Downtown Airport Saturday night, forcing an emergency landing in Lake Wausau.
- Tiffany and the pilot swam to shallow water after the plane began sinking and were rescued by a Wausau Fire Department airboat around 9:05 p.m.
- Tiffany suffered a cut above his right eye that needed stitches; both men were treated for minor injuries and released the same night.
- The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified and will investigate the four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza, which remains in the lake.
An Emergency Landing After A Campaign Stop
Tiffany, a Republican running for Wisconsin governor, was flying home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday, September 12, when trouble struck.
In his own words, shared publicly afterward, the plane “lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport.” The pilot chose to put the aircraft down on Lake Wausau rather than risk a crash on land.
Wisconsin GOP governor candidate swims from sinking plane after emergency lake landing https://t.co/4dOk7hBksc pic.twitter.com/BVFdOlETLr
— New York Post (@nypost) September 13, 2026
What happened next moved fast. Tiffany said he and the pilot called 911 right after landing. As the plane started sinking, both men climbed out and swam to shallow water, where they waited for help to arrive by boat.
That kind of quick thinking under pressure is exactly what pilot training drills for, and it likely made the difference between a scary story and a tragic one.
Rescue, Injuries, And A Trip To The Hospital
The Wausau Fire Department pulled Tiffany, 68, and the pilot, 73, from the water using an airboat at 9:05 p.m. Emergency crews then rushed both men to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment.
Tiffany walked away with a laceration above his right eye that required stitches. He was released from the hospital that same night, according to a campaign update.
Both men suffered only minor injuries, a fact that stands out given the danger of a small plane going down in open water at night.
Cold water, darkness, and a sinking aircraft form a dangerous combination for anyone, let alone two men in their late sixties and seventies. Tiffany publicly thanked the pilot and the emergency responders who reached them, crediting their quick action for the safe outcome.
The Aircraft And What Investigators Will Look For
The plane involved was a Beechcraft Bonanza, a four-seat aircraft long popular with private pilots for cross-country trips. As of the latest reporting, it remained sitting in Lake Wausau, awaiting recovery.
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were notified and will investigate the incident.
Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor Tom Tiffany suffered minor injuries after a small plane he was on had to make an emergency landing Saturday night.https://t.co/BcceH5d1mL
— SeehaferNews (@SeehaferNews) September 14, 2026
Federal investigators typically move in stages after a general aviation accident like this one. They gather on-scene facts first, then issue a preliminary report, and only much later reach conclusions about what actually caused the failure.
The NTSB has said its preliminary reports contain only factual information collected on scene and do not include a finding of probable cause.
General aviation investigations often take 12 to 24 months to fully complete, meaning a definitive explanation for why this plane lost power is still a long way off.
For now, the known facts speak for themselves. A congressman running for governor was headed home from a political dinner when his plane lost power and came down in a lake. Both men got out, got help, and got treated for injuries that could have been far worse.
The rest, why the engine failed, what maintenance records show, whether any mechanical warning signs existed beforehand, will come out only after investigators finish their work.
Until then, this is a story about a close call that ended with two survivors and a lot of gratitude toward first responders who showed up fast.
Sources:
townhall.com, wpr.org, yahoo.com, fox11online.com
