Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and his pilot survived an emergency water landing on Lake Wausau on September 12, 2026, after their single-engine plane lost power on approach to Wausau Downtown Airport. Both men swam to a shallow area and were later treated for minor injuries following the dramatic nighttime rescue.
Engine Failure and Desperate Descent Over Lake Wausau
The flight was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska when mechanical trouble struck the aircraft on its final approach. Pilot Leonard Boltz had only seconds to act as the single-engine plane lost all power above the dark Wisconsin landscape.
Roughly ten seconds after that warning, the aircraft hit the water of Lake Wausau. The impact drove Tiffany’s head into the dashboard, leaving him with a gash above his right eye that later required 12 stitches. Boltz sustained injuries requiring four stitches, according to reporting by Fox News.
Escape From the Sinking Aircraft and the 911 Call
As water began filling the cabin, the two men checked on one another before climbing out through the passenger-side door. Tiffany searched the sinking cockpit for his mobile phone but could not locate it. Boltz still had his device and dialed emergency services.
Dispatch audio captured the urgent scramble of rescue crews tracking the last known GPS coordinates of a phone underwater while deploying multiple ambulances, engines, and rescue boats to Lake Wausau. Marathon County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Cory Gladden noted that the 911 call came from the occupants while they stood atop the aircraft.
“We are just really fortunate,” Tiffany said, pausing as he became emotional. “We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night.”
A Twenty-Minute Water Ordeal and Quick Thinking
After the plane slipped beneath the surface, Tiffany and Boltz began swimming toward the shore, covering roughly 100 to 150 feet before reaching an elevated sandbar where the water depth was approximately five feet. Spotting distant sirens around the lake, Tiffany urged his pilot to stay put rather than risk swimming further in the dark.
According to Marathon County Sheriff’s Office timelines cited by NPR, both men spent about 20 minutes in the water before rescue boats located them. Tiffany later credited Boltz’s quick thinking with preventing a fatality.
The pilot, a former Air Force pilot trainer, had the presence of mind to retract the plane’s landing gear just before touching down. Tiffany noted that maneuver likely prevented the aircraft from cartwheeling across the surface upon impact.
Gratitude and Emotional Aftermath at the News Conference
During a Sunday news conference held hours after his discharge from the hospital, Tiffany reflected on the narrow escape. His voice cracked with emotion as he recounted the harrowing minutes on the lake.
Federal aviation authorities are now working to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to the emergency.
Federal Investigation Into the Mechanical Failure
Initial information gathered by the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office points to a mechanical failure as the root cause of the engine loss. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched formal investigations to determine why the single-engine aircraft lost power on its approach to Wausau Downtown Airport.
