Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, says he sustained minor injuries late Saturday when a plane he was traveling in was forced to make an emergency water landing.
Tiffany said in a statement on X that he and the pilot swam to safety after the light aircraft, which had lost power while approaching Wisconsin’s Wausau Downtown Airport, landed in Lake Wausau and began to submerge.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly,” Tiffany said. “They got us safely off the water and transported us to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where we received excellent care. Thankfully, both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries.”
Rescue teams were called to reports of a downed plane with two people in the water, emergency services’ radio communications obtained by NBC News indicate. Two survivors pulled out of the water were “alert and conscious,” the audio suggests.
Tiffany represents Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district and is endorsed by President Donald Trump in the November 3 gubernatorial election.
His Democratic opponent, David Crowley, said in a post on X: “I’m 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.”
He added: “I wish them and the Congressman a quick recovery and that they can find solace with their loved ones.”
“An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is,” Tiffany said in his post.
