Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, met Monday with members of the Wausau Fire Department who pulled him and his pilot from Lake Wausau two nights earlier after their small plane lost power and made an emergency water landing.
In a post on X, Tiffany said he had the chance to thank some of the first responders who reached the pair by boat Saturday night and got them safely off the water.
“I’ll always be grateful. Our first responders represent the very best of Wisconsin,” he wrote, sharing a group photo taken inside a fire station bay in front of the department’s airboat.
Tiffany, wearing a green shirt and jeans, stood with firefighters in uniform. One official held a gift basket. The airboat that performed the rescue was visible behind the group.
The meeting came two days after the Saturday night incident. Tiffany and pilot Leonard Boltz, 73, of Pearson, were returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when their four-seat Beechcraft K35 Bonanza lost engine power on final approach to Wausau Downtown Airport around 8:45 p.m. Boltz told Tiffany to tighten his seatbelt; about 10 seconds later the plane hit the water.
They called 911, stood on the aircraft as it began to sink, then swam roughly 150 feet to a sandbar where they could stand. Wausau Fire Department crews reached them by airboat around 9:05 p.m. and took them to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Tiffany received 12 stitches above his right eye after striking the dashboard; Boltz received four stitches. Both were released the same night.
Tiffany had already thanked the department at an emotional Sunday press conference at the fire station, where he grew tearful while standing with responders and the airboat. He credited Boltz, a retired Air Force pilot, with retracting the landing gear before impact, a move he said likely prevented the plane from cartwheeling. He also praised the speed of the 911 dispatcher, firefighters, EMS, law enforcement and hospital staff.
“We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night,” Tiffany said Sunday. He added that the episode would not stop his campaign. “I signed up for this job. We’re going to finish the job.”
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the loss of power. The aircraft remained in the lake as recovery work continued Monday. Tiffany said he planned to return to the campaign trail.
