Rain ending this evening. Partial clearing overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..
Rain ending this evening. Partial clearing overnight. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Updated: September 13, 2026 @ 9:15 pm
(The Center Square) – Wisconsin congressman and candidate-for-governor Tom Tiffany and a pilot sustained only minor injuries after having to make an emergency water landing in a four-seat Bonanza airplane late Saturday night near Wausau.
Tiffany said in a statement that he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the plane lost power and was forced to land on Lake Wausau.
“After landing, we called 911,” Tiffany said in a statement. “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 suffered a laceration over his right eye, received stitches at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and was later released. Pilot Len Boltz was also released.
Tiffany said that the pair first stood on top of the plane and then swam approximately 100-150 feet to any area where they could touch. They waited there for two boats of first responders to arrive.
“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 said. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
Tiffany thanked the Wausau Fire Department for quick action along with other first responders. He said on Sunday afternoon that the gravity of the situation was likely just hitting him.
"We are just really fortunate," Tiffany said.
Tiffany is a Republican running against Democrat David Crowley in the Nov. 3 general election for governor. He said the crash would not deter his efforts to win the race for governor.
"The last thing anyone wants to do is put the plane in the water, at night," Wausau Mayor Doug Diny said while introducing Tiffany.
Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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