Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany suffers minor injuries when his plane makes an emergency landing in a lake and he swims to safety
By Diego Mendoza, Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — Wisconsin congressman and Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany said he suffered minor injuries after a plane he was in made an emergency landing Saturday night on Lake Wausau in central Wisconsin.
In a post on X, Tiffany said while returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner, in Onalaska, Wisconsin, the plane, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Beechcraft K35, lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.
The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau, he said, and the two called 911. As the plane began to submerge, Tiffany and the pilot exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area where they waited for emergency responders, he said.
“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,” Tiffany said in the post.
“They got us safely off the water and transported us to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where we received excellent care.”
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the plane experienced a mechanical issue around 8:49 p.m. while approaching the airport, according to its latest news release on Sunday. Tiffany and the pilot were rescued by a Wausau Fire Department airboat at 9:05 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
The incident is under investigation, the FAA told CNN in a statement.
The sheriff’s office said the plane was marked with a buoy and asked people to stay away, according to the news release.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and State Patrol also responded to the scene, according to WSAW, and the investigation will be handed over to the FAA.
In dispatch audio obtained and verified by CNN, authorities mention someone inside the plane made a 911 call. Later, an official responding to the crash confirms two people inside the plane had been rescued.
“Boat heads back to landing with two victims,” the official at the scene is heard telling dispatchers. “Both are alert and conscious.”
“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side. An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is,” Tiffany said in his post.
CNN has reached out to Tiffany’s office, the Wisconsin DNR and State Patrol for further information.
Tiffany, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, won his party’s nomination for governor of Wisconsin in the primary elections, 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.
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CNN’s Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.
