U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany recounted a harrowing emergency water landing Sunday, saying the small plane carrying him home from a campaign dinner lost power on approach to Wausau Downtown Airport and struck Lake Wausau within seconds.
Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, spoke at a news conference at the Wausau Fire Department a day after the Saturday night incident. He and pilot Leonard Boltz, 73, of Pearson, suffered only minor injuries. Tiffany received stitches for a gash above his right eye after his head struck the dashboard.
The Beechcraft K35 Bonanza lost power as it neared the airport shortly before 9 p.m., Tiffany said. Dispatchers received a 911 call at 8:49 p.m. Wausau firefighters reached the two men by airboat about 16 minutes later.
“At that point, he just said, ‘Hang on, Tom, and buckle up because we’re going to go down,’” Tiffany told reporters. “It was just real shortly after that, I would guess 10 seconds, we hit the water.”
In another account of the same moment, Tiffany said Boltz told him, “We are going down. Pull your seatbelt tight.” Tiffany added, “And that’s exactly what I did. I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight.”
He estimated the aircraft was traveling about 70 miles per hour when it hit the water, comparing the impact to “a fast-moving car crash.”
Tiffany credited Boltz, a former Air Force pilot trainer, with raising the landing gear before the plane touched down, which he said likely prevented it from cartwheeling.
“He was savvy enough and quick enough to think about, ‘We’ve got to make sure and pull that landing gear up,’” Tiffany said. “He did that, and it might have saved us.”
“We’re fortunate the plane didn’t flip,” he said. “I just take that to the skill of the pilot.”
After the landing, the two men called 911. Tiffany said he lost his phone in the crash. As the aircraft began to submerge, they stood on top of it for about 10 minutes, then swam roughly 150 feet to a sandbar and waited for rescue.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly,” Tiffany said.
Tiffany appeared to get emotional as he described the close call. His voice cracked as he paused.
“We are just really fortunate,” he said. “We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night.”
“It was quite a night, quite a day, and (I’m) just grateful for the Lord for sparing us to see another day,” he added.
Both men were treated at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and released. Tiffany said the experience would not stop his campaign.
“I signed up for this job. We’re going to finish the job,” he said, adding that he planned to return to the trail Monday.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the loss of power. The plane remained in the lake Sunday, marked by a buoy. Officials asked boaters to stay clear until it can be removed.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley said he was grateful no one was more seriously hurt and praised the pilot’s actions.
