U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, and pilot Leonard Boltz, 73, of Pearson, escaped with minor injuries Saturday night after their small aircraft lost power on approach to Wausau Downtown Airport and was forced to make an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau. Marathon County Emergency Dispatch received the initial 911 call at approximately 8:49 p.m. on Sept. 13. The aircraft, a four-seat Beechcraft K35 Bonanza, submerged after landing, and both occupants exited the plane and swam to a shallow area to await rescue.

Tiffany, recounting the incident at a Sunday news conference, said the pilot, identified by the Marathon County Sheriff's Office as Leonard Boltz, warned him with approximately 10 seconds to spare before impact, instructing him to tighten his seat belt. Tiffany said there was "no panic" as the two swam to a nearby sandbar. Both were located by Wausau Fire Department crews who deployed an airboat and a Rapid Deployment Craft, brought aboard the airboat, treated on shore by paramedics, and transported by ambulance to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where they were treated and released. Tiffany required stitches above his right eye.

The multi-agency response included the Wausau Police Department, Marathon County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the SAFER Fire Department. The aircraft remains submerged in Lake Wausau, and authorities have placed a no-wake buoy near the site, urging boaters to avoid the area until recovery crews can remove the wreckage. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into the incident.

Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and holds an endorsement from President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election, said the experience would not deter his campaign for governor. His Democratic opponent, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, extended well-wishes in a post on X, writing that he was "grateful to God that Congressman Tiffany and no one else was hurt in this horrifying incident, which could have been a tragedy if not for the heroism of the pilot."