(The Center Square) – Wisconsin congressman and candidate-for-governor Tom Tiffany and a pilot sustained only minor injuries after having to make an emergency water landing in a four-seat Bonanza airplane late Saturday night near Wausau.
Tiffany said in a statement that he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the plane lost power and was forced to land on Lake Wausau.
“After landing, we called 911,” Tiffany said in a statement. “As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat.”
While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau.
After landing, we called 911. As the plane began to…
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) September 13, 2026
Tiffany suffered a laceration over his right eye, received stitches at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and was later released. The pilot, the other passenger on the plane, was also released.
“God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side,” Tiffany said. “An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
Tiffany thanked the Wausau Fire Department for quick action along with other first responders.
Thank you to everyone across Wisconsin and around the country who has reached out with prayers and kind words. It has meant so much to me and my family.
I was released from the hospital last night after receiving stitches above my right eye, and the pilot was also released. We…
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) September 13, 2026
Tiffany is a Republican running against Democrat David Crowley in the Nov. 3 general election for governor.
