US congressman swims to safety after plane makes emergency landing on Wisconsin lake
Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany suffered minor injuries when the small plane he was traveling in was forced to land on Lake Wausau after a mechanical issue, prompting him and the pilot to swim to shallow water.
Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany, the Republican Party's nominee for governor, sustained minor injuries on Saturday night after a small plane he was aboard was forced to land on Lake Wausau.
According to the Marathon County Sheriff's Office, the single-engine Beechcraft K35, also known as a Bonanza, developed a mechanical issue as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport, forcing the pilot into an emergency landing on the water.
Tiffany said he and the pilot called 911 once the aircraft came down. Writing on social media, he described how, as the plane began to submerge, the two exited and swam to a shallow area, where they waited for emergency responders to reach them by boat.
Authorities received a 911 call reporting the crash at 20:49 local time. About 15 minutes later, a Wausau Fire Department airboat rescued the pair from the water. The sheriff's office confirmed Tiffany and the pilot were the only two people aboard the aircraft, which can carry up to five people.
Tiffany sustained a small cut above his right eye, his campaign said, while the pilot also suffered minor injuries. Tiffany had been returning from a dinner in La Crosse County when the plane suddenly lost power on approach to the airport.
The cause of the mechanical failure has not yet been determined. The sheriff's office said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. The plane remains in the lake as crews work to remove it.
