Wisconsin Republican governor candidate Tom Tiffany swam to safety Saturday night after his small plane lost power and sank into Lake Wausau—proving the kind of self-reliance no government program can replace.
Tiffany, currently representing Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the four-seat Bonanza lost power approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing. They called 911, but the plane was already filling with water and sinking before rescuers could reach them. So they didn't wait. Tiffany and the pilot exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where they held position until emergency responders arrived by boat.
"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," Tiffany wrote on X.
Both men sustained only minor injuries and were transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Dispatch audio obtained and verified by CNN confirms both were "alert and conscious" when the rescue boat returned to shore.
Tiffany credited the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and first responders. "God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side," he said. "An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is."
The Marathon County Sheriff's Office told WSAW the plane will be marked with a buoy and asked people to stay away. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and State Patrol also responded, and the investigation now heads to the FAA. The cause of the power loss remains unknown.
CNN's wire coverage—carried by ABC17News—couldn't resist labeling Tiffany a member of the "far-right House Freedom Caucus" and noting he was "bolstered by the support of President Donald Trump." Fox News and the New York Post both reported the straight facts without the editorial finger-wagging. CNN also reached out to Tiffany's Democratic opponent David Crowley, who posted on X that he was "grateful to God" no one was hurt and credited "the heroism of the pilot."
The press will frame this as a spectacle. The real takeaway is simpler: when the plane is sinking and the clock is ticking, you don't dial 911 and hope. You get out and swim. Tiffany did.
What caused a Bonanza to lose power on approach to a downtown airport—and whether the FAA investigation produces answers or just paperwork—is the open question.
