Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany had to swim out of a sinking aircraft Saturday night after the small plane carrying him lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. He escaped with minor injuries.
Tiffany was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the Beechcraft K35 lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot put the plane down in the lake.
Tiffany described what happened shortly afterward on X:
While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.
After landing, we called 911. As the plane began to…
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) September 13, 2026
“While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.”
The landing was only the beginning.
Tiffany said he and the pilot called 911 after hitting the water. The aircraft then began to submerge, forcing both men out of the plane and into the lake.
“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.”
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said the plane experienced a mechanical problem at approximately 8:49 p.m. Tiffany and a Wausau Fire Department airboat picked up the pilot at 9:05 p.m. Both were conscious when rescuers reached them.
Rescuers took Tiffany and the pilot to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Tiffany’s campaign said the congressman suffered a cut above his right eye that required stitches. Both men were released from the hospital.
There were no other passengers aboard.
In his post, Tiffany thanked the pilot and the first responders who got them out of the lake.
“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.”
His wife, Chris, joined him at the hospital.
“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side,” Tiffany wrote. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
His Democratic opponent, David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive who faces Tiffany in November’s gubernatorial race, said he was relieved Tiffany and the pilot survived, crediting the pilot’s actions with preventing what “could have been a tragedy.”
Tiffany, backed by President Trump, won the Republican primary and is running in what is expected to be a competitive general election race against Crowley this November.
The plane remained in the lake Sunday and was marked with a buoy while authorities worked the scene. The cause of the power loss remains under investigation. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will both be involved.
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