GOP congressman from Wisconsin swims to safety after plane makes emergency landing in a lake

A Republican congressman from Wisconsin said he had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late Saturday.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany says he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. They both ended up in the water and swam to safety.

"After landing, we called 911. 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," he wrote on X.

The Marathon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Tiffany and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, got out of the plane and called 911. They were rescued by emergency responders in a fire department airboat just after 9 p.m.

Both men were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries and released. Tiffany suffered a cut above his right eye that required stitches, his campaign said in an emailed statement.

A no-wake buoy was placed near the plane, which remained in the lake, and boaters were being asked to avoid the area until the plane can be removed, the sheriff's office said. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency would investigate the incident. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said that agency is waiting for the FAA to assess the plane as to whether the damage was substantial enough for it to get involved.

Tiffany is running for governor on the Republican ticket in Wisconsin and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

David Crowley, the Democratic candidate, wished Tiffany a “quick recovery” in a post on X and lauded the “heroism of the pilot.”

The plane Tiffany was traveling in was a single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.