U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, and pilot Leonard E. Boltz escaped with minor injuries after their Beechcraft K35 Bonanza plane lost power and made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau on September 12, 2026. The pair swam to shallow water as the aircraft submerged and were rescued by a Wausau Fire Department airboat. Both were treated at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Lake Wausau emergency landing
- ▪The Beechcraft K35 Bonanza airplane lost power at approximately 8:50 p.m. on September 12, 2026, as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport following Representative Tom Tiffany's appearance at the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner
- ▪A Beechcraft K35 Bonanza airplane carrying U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany made an emergency water landing on Lake Wausau in central Wisconsin on the night of September 12, 2026
- ▪The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office identified the pilot of the aircraft as 73-year-old Leonard E. Boltz of Pearson, Wisconsin
Swimming to shallow water
- ▪Representative Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard E. Boltz exited the submerging aircraft and swam to a shallow area of Lake Wausau to await rescue
- ▪After the aircraft landed on Lake Wausau, Representative Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard E. Boltz called 911 as the plane began to submerge
- ▪The Wausau Fire Department rescued Representative Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard E. Boltz from Lake Wausau using an airboat approximately 15 minutes after the landing
Hospital treatment for injuries
- ▪Representative Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard E. Boltz were transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries
- ▪Representative Tom Tiffany stated that his wife, Chris Tiffany, joined him at Aspirus Wausau Hospital following the rescue
Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign
- ▪Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley expressed gratitude that Representative Tom Tiffany was not seriously hurt and praised the heroism of the pilot
- ▪Representative Tom Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, is running as the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin in the upcoming election
Federal aviation investigation
- ▪The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Wisconsin State Patrol responded to the crash scene on Lake Wausau
- ▪The Federal Aviation Administration announced on September 13, 2026, that it would investigate the cause of the aircraft's power loss and emergency landing
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