WAUSAU, Wis. — Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor Tom Tiffany delivered an emotional recounting on Sunday of a harrowing emergency water landing after a small plane carrying him and his pilot lost engine power and plunged into Lake Wausau. The candidate expressed profound gratitude to local emergency personnel and adamantly declared that the survival ordeal would not derail his bid for the state's highest executive office.
Appearing before reporters the day after the incident, Tiffany reflected on the sudden crisis that concluded with the aircraft partially submerged and left him with facial injuries. Despite the traumatic sequence of events, which required both occupants to abandon the sinking aircraft and swim through open water, Tiffany reaffirmed his commitment to his ongoing statewide political campaign.
Addressing the gathered media, the gubernatorial candidate firmly stated that the near-disaster would not hinder his political trajectory. He reminded supporters and the public that he had initially launched his campaign for governor in Wausau roughly one year ago, noting that having made the initial commitment to run, he fully intends to finish the job ahead of the upcoming election.
Tiffany arrived at the press event holding hands with his wife, Chris, and appeared visibly moved as he spoke about the evening of the crash. Standing inside the vehicle bay of the emergency department, he was flanked by the rescue crew, consisting of nine firefighters and paramedics, and was positioned directly in front of the municipal airboat that had been deployed to retrieve him from the water.
The emergency occurred on Saturday evening as the aircraft was making its final approach toward Wausau Downtown Airport. Dispatchers in Marathon County initially received an emergency distress call at approximately 8:49 p.m. on September 12, reporting that an aircraft had gone down in the waters of Lake Wausau.
According to Tiffany's description of the flight, the journey had been entirely routine and smooth until the plane drew near to its destination. The situation deteriorated rapidly when pilot Leonard Boltz recognized that the aircraft had suffered a catastrophic loss of power, leaving no option other than an immediate and uncontrolled emergency descent into the lake.
In the final seconds before impact, Boltz warned Tiffany that the aircraft was going down and instructed the candidate to cinch his seatbelt as tightly as possible. Tiffany estimated that roughly ten seconds elapsed between the pilot's urgent warning and the moment the small aircraft struck the surface of Lake Wausau.
Following the impact on the water, both Tiffany and Boltz were able to exit the cabin quickly before the fuselage was completely swallowed by the lake. The two men initially climbed onto the exterior of the plane as it gradually sank, assessing their options while attempting to summon emergency assistance.
During the chaotic evacuation from the cockpit into the water, Tiffany lost his personal mobile phone in the lake. However, Boltz had managed to retain his device, allowing the pilot to immediately dial 911 and provide critical location information to emergency dispatchers while the aircraft continued to take on water.
As the plane steadily slipped further beneath the lake's surface, the men agreed that remaining with the sinking wreckage was no longer feasible and decided to swim toward the distant shore. After navigating approximately 150 feet through the water, Tiffany reached a shallow elevated point of the lakebed where he was finally able to stand upright while awaiting the arrival of first responders.
The impact and subsequent evacuation left Tiffany with a laceration on his eyebrow that later required medical stitches. The candidate took time during his remarks to praise Boltz's exceptional composure and skill behind the controls, crediting the pilot’s decisive handling of the powerless aircraft for preventing far more severe or fatal consequences.
Reflecting on their emotional response during the crisis, Tiffany noted that the full psychological gravity of the life-threatening experience was only beginning to set in. He shared that both men had intentionally exchanged jokes throughout the ordeal in an effort to maintain composure and keep the atmosphere light, even while fully aware of the dire danger confronting them.
Photographs taken in the aftermath showed the tail section of the downed plane protruding from Lake Wausau on Sunday, illustrating the extent to which the remainder of the aircraft had been submerged following the water landing.
The press conference itself served as a living illustration of the relentless duties of local emergency crews. Throughout the briefing, announcements and emergency medical dispatches periodically echoed across the building's public address system, prompting Tiffany to pause his statements out of respect for active operations.
At one juncture during the event, two of the firefighters standing behind the candidate were called away mid-conference to respond to an active emergency call in the community. Tiffany observed their immediate departure, acknowledging their continuous service and presenting the department with a fruit basket as a gesture of personal appreciation for their swift response the night before.
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