Republican Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany experienced a harrowing incident when a small plane he was aboard lost power and necessitated an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night. The incident resulted in only minor injuries for Tiffany and the pilot.
According to Tiffany, the plane lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot managed to safely land the aircraft on the lake. In a statement shared on social media platform X, Tiffany detailed the immediate actions taken after the landing:
“After landing, we called 911. 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.”
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a private aircraft went down in Lake Wausau around 9 p.m. on Saturday. Local reports indicated that both occupants of the plane sustained minor injuries and received medical evaluation.
The Wausau Fire Department, along with other first responders, successfully extracted Tiffany and the pilot from the lake, transporting them to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Tiffany expressed gratitude for the quick response:
“Thankfully, both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries. God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side. An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is.”
Who Is Tom Tiffany?
Tom Tiffany is a Republican congressman representing Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and is campaigning for the governorship in 2026. He joined Congress in 2020 after a special election and has previous political experience in the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate. Tiffany’s background includes growing up on a dairy farm and running a Northwoods excursion boat business with his wife, Chris. His current congressional responsibilities include serving on the House Judiciary and Natural Resources committees.
Politicians and Small-Plane Travel
Politicians often charter small aircraft for travel, especially in states with large geographical areas or rural regions. Aviation incidents have notably affected political figures history. For example, a plane crash claimed the life of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone near Eveleth, Minnesota, in October 2002. In another instance, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash in October 2000, and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens perished in a 2010 floatplane crash after surviving an earlier crash decades prior.
This story is ongoing, and further updates are anticipated.
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