Tom Tiffany, Pilot Rescued After Emergency Plane Landing in Lake Wausau

U.S. Representative and Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany and a pilot escaped with minor injuries Saturday night after their small plane lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau.

According to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened shortly before 9 p.m. as the plane was approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. Tiffany and the pilot, 73-year-old Leonard E. Boltz of Pearson, were the only two people aboard.The aircraft, a Beechcraft Bonanza, lost power as it approached the airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau, and the plane began to sink.

Tiffany and Boltz were able to get out of the aircraft and swim to a shallow area, where they waited for help. A Wausau Fire Department airboat reached the two men shortly after the 911 call.Both were taken to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment and were later released. Tiffany sustained a facial injury that required stitches, while Boltz also received stitches for a minor injury.

The submerged aircraft remains in Lake Wausau. Authorities have placed a no-wake buoy near the plane and are asking boaters to stay away from the area while arrangements are made to remove the aircraft.The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, and the National Transportation Safety Board may become involved depending on the FAA’s assessment of the aircraft’s damage.

Tiffany was returning to the Wausau area after attending the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the incident occurred. In a statement, Tiffany thanked the pilot and first responders for getting the two men safely off the water. The cause of the plane’s loss of power has not been determined.