Tom Tiffany plane water landing, records detail emergency response

WAUSAU, Wis. – FOX6 News has obtained new records from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office after the agency responded to Lake Wausau, where a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, made an emergency landing in the water on Sept. 12.

How did Tiffany’s plane crash?

What we know:

Tiffany said he was flying back from La Crosse on Saturday night, Sept. 12, when the small plane he was riding in lost power on final approach to the Wausau Airport. He said the pilot told him to tighten his seatbelt, and about 10 seconds later, they hit the water. 

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The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said deputies got the 911 call just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Records FOX6 News obtained show the initial dispatch call came at 8:49 p.m., and the first emergency personnel arrived at 8:53 p.m.

The pilot has been identified as Leonard Boltz of Pearson, Wisconsin. The aircraft was identified as a Beechcraft K35, which Tiffany described as a four-seat Bonanza. 

The two men were able to get off of the plane and waited on the wing until the aircraft started to sink, so they swam to a nearby sandbar where they could stand up. At approximately 9:05 p.m., records state, Wausau Fire crews reached them by boat. They were then taken to a hospital. 

What we don’t know:

It’s not clear how or why the engine failed at this time. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the emergency landing.

Was Tom Tiffany injured?

Why you should care:

Both Tiffany and Boltz needed stitches but are going to be OK. Tiffany said his head hit the plane’s dashboard. Both men were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released. Tiffany said the gravity of what happened is still sinking in.

“We are just really fortunate,” Tiffany said. “We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night. And we’re also really fortunate that the first responders, those behind me, the fire department, the sheriff’s department, as well as the city of Wausau police for their quick response. We’re really fortunate for what they did, and I can’t thank them enough for helping us in this situation. I have to say that the gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point, because we were making jokes every step of the way last night, though, we knew it was a serious situation. But, we tried to keep it light through the whole thing.”

Tom Tiffany plane crashes into Lake Wausau, expert weighs in

Investigators are now working to figure out what happened to the plane carrying Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany. It made an emergency crash landing on Lake Wausau. Aviation experts said training and preparation were key to a safe emergency landing on water.

The backstory:

Crews removed the plane from Lake Wausau on Monday after it made its emergency water landing late Saturday. The plane was raised to the surface using air bags, lifted out of the water onto land and moved to a storage location after several hours of work.

According to online depth charts, the area of Lake Wausau where the plane went gets no deeper than 10 feet. That is why, even with the plane full of water, people could still see the tail wing. Records state the plane went down in approximately 4–6 feet of water.

The plane was valued at $131,000, according to records FOX6 obtained.

Where is Wausau?

Local perspective:

Wausau, located in Marathon County, is roughly 185 miles northwest of Milwaukee and 150 miles north of Madison. 

Continued coverage

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