Rep. Tom Tiffany Injured in Lake Wausau Plane Crash

U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, sustained minor injuries Saturday night after his aircraft lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. Tiffany was returning from a Lincoln Day Dinner with the La Crosse County Republican Party when the single-engine Beechcraft K35 lost power during its final approach to Wausau Downtown Airport around 8:50 p.m. local time.

Pilot Leonard Boltz executed the water landing, after which the two occupants waited on the aircraft for 10 minutes as it began to submerge. Both men eventually swam to a shallower area of the lake, where they were rescued by a Wausau Fire Department airboat shortly after 9 p.m.

Both men were transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for treatment. Tiffany received 12 stitches above his right eye and underwent a CT scan, while Boltz received four stitches. Both were released from the hospital shortly after treatment.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the engine failure, and the National Transportation Safety Board is monitoring the situation to determine if the aircraft's damage warrants a formal investigation. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the rescue efforts.