Newly released surveillance footage captured the moment a small airplane carrying Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau after losing power.
The recording came from a camera outside a home overlooking the Wisconsin lake. The aircraft can be seen descending rapidly before striking the water Saturday night.
CBS 58 reporter Kathryn Merck shared the footage after Wausau resident Beth Hartinger provided it to the station. The impact occurs approximately 28 seconds into the recording.
Tiffany, Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska when the aircraft experienced mechanical problems.
The four-seat, single-engine Beechcraft K35 Bonanza lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport, where it had been scheduled to land.
Pilot Leonard Boltz, 73, attempted to restart the engine but was unable to restore power, according to Tiffany’s account of the incident.
Boltz, a retired Air Force pilot who had flown with Tiffany previously, told the congressman to tighten his seatbelt moments before directing the plane toward the lake.
“He said we are going down,” Tiffany recalled during a Sunday news conference. “‘Pull your seat belt tight.’ I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight.”
Tiffany said the plane struck the water roughly 10 seconds after the warning.
The force of the impact caused Tiffany’s head to hit the dashboard, leaving him with a cut above his right eye. The injury required 12 stitches.
“All that happened to me was my head hit the dash in front of me, and that was the extent of the damage,” Tiffany said, according to FOX 11.
Boltz reportedly received four stitches for his injuries.
Both men initially remained with the aircraft and called 911, but the plane soon began sinking into Lake Wausau.
Tiffany and Boltz then entered the water and swam approximately 100 to 150 feet before reaching an area shallow enough for them to stand.
Wausau Fire Department personnel reached the pair by boat roughly 15 minutes after authorities received the emergency call shortly before 9 p.m.
Emergency crews transported both men to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. They were treated for minor injuries and released.
“We are just really fortunate,” Tiffany said while becoming emotional during the news conference. “We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night.”
Tiffany credited Boltz’s experience and actions with preventing the emergency from becoming deadly.
The aircraft remained partially submerged following the crash, with its tail visible above the water. Authorities placed a no-wake buoy near the wreckage and instructed boaters to avoid the area.
Recovery crews used airbags Monday to raise the plane before lifting it onto land and transporting it to a storage facility. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assisted with the operation.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what caused the aircraft to lose power. The National Transportation Safety Board could also participate, depending on the damage assessment.
Tiffany said doctors instructed him to avoid flying for several days, but he does not intend to permanently stop traveling by air or suspend his gubernatorial campaign.
He also joked that his cellphone remained at the bottom of Lake Wausau and may have prevented him from receiving a call from President Donald Trump.
“If he has, he probably called my phone,” Tiffany said. “And it’s being answered by one of the fish down in Lake Wausau.”
Tiffany represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District and is seeking to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
He will face Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee, in the Nov. 3 general election. Crowley offered prayers for Tiffany and Boltz while praising the pilot’s response to the emergency.
