Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany suffers minor injuries after emergency landing in a lake
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany said Sunday he sustained minor injuries after the plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing on Lake Wausau in central Wisconsin.
Tiffany, a Republican, said in a social media post that he was returning from La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the plane he was traveling in lost power on approach to Wausau Downtown Airport, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in the water.
A Beechcraft K35 landed in Lake Wausau around 8:50 p.m. local time Saturday after the pilot reported engine issues, the Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News on Sunday. Only two people were on board. The FAA will continue to investigate.
As the plane began to submerge, Tiffany and the pilot exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area where they waited for emergency responders, he said.
"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 wrote in his post, saying that he and the pilot only sustained minor injuries.
"God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side. An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is," Tiffany said in his post.
In a social media post on Sunday, Tiffany gave his thanks for the messages he's received and said he was released from the hospital "after receiving stitches above my right eye." He said the pilot was also released.
Tiffany's Democratic opponent, David Crowley, responded by saying he was "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."
