WAUSAU, Wis. — U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for Wisconsin governor, was returning from a campaign event when his plane lost power near Wausau Downtown Airport.
Tiffany is thanking first responders and his pilot after the plane he was traveling in made an emergency splash landing on a Wisconsin lake.
Watch the video report below:
The Republican congressman was returning from a campaign event Saturday night when the plane lost power while approaching the Wausau airport. Pilot Len Boltz made an emergency landing on Lake Wausau and also called 911.
"Just grateful for the Lord for sparing us to see another day," Tiffany said.
Both Tiffany and Boltz stood on top of the plane for several minutes until it began to go under. The 68-year-old congressman and his pilot were then able to swim to shallow water, where they were rescued and taken to the hospital.
Tiffany credits Boltz for the skillful emergency landing.
"We're really fortunate that God was looking after us last night," Tiffany said. "We're also really fortunate that the first responders — those behind me — we're really fortunate for what they did. And I can't thank them enough for helping us in this situation."
Rep. Tom Tiffany held a press conference Sunday afternoon. You can watch that below:
Audio captured on Broadcastify recorded a 911 dispatcher describing the moments after the plane went down.
"I was talking to the pilots. It sounded like they made plans... to nearest shore after it went under and then I lost contact with them. I believe his phone is underwater. They may be swimming," the dispatcher said.
Tiffany sustained 12 stitches above his right eye.
"It was a fast moving car crash, and all that happened to me was my head hit the dash in front of me and that was the extent of the damage," Tiffany said. "We're fortunate the plane didn't flip."
Related stories:
- Wisconsin leaders, groups react after Rep. Tom Tiffany’s emergency plane landing
- Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany swims to safety after plane makes emergency landing in a lake
Tiffany plans to be back on the campaign trail Monday.
Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley was at a Mexican Independence Day celebration on Milwaukee's south side Sunday. Crowley said he's grateful Tiffany is OK and tried to call him and leave a message.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the congressman. Yes, we are in different partisan races and things of that nature, but he's still a human being," Crowley said. "I'm hoping for a speedy recovery, not just for him, but for those who were in that aircraft."
Tiffany says he lost his phone during the emergency landing and it is now somewhere on the bottom of the lake.
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This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
