Republican congressman Tom Tiffany has described the moment a small plane lost power and crashed into Lake Wausau, saying the pilot gave him only seconds to tighten his seat belt before the impact.
Tiffany, who is the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, was returning from a campaign event on Saturday night when the four-seat aircraft encountered trouble while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport.
“As we were making that final turn before we were going to approach for landing, the pilot turned to me and said, ‘Tom, we are going down, pull your seat belt as tight as possible,’” Tiffany told Fox News.
“And it was like staring into the abyss. And you don’t know how far down it is.”
He said he pulled the belt tight and the aircraft struck the water moments later. Despite the force of the crash, the plane remained upright and initially stayed afloat.
As the damaged aircraft began to sink, Tiffany and the pilot forced open a door and escaped into the lake. They swam towards a shallow area and waited for help in the darkness.
“We got the door open, got out and the rest from there, we were able to be saved by the local law enforcement as well as the first responders,” Tiffany said.
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene. Tiffany and the pilot were taken from the water and transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital.
Tiffany suffered a cut above his eye which required 12 stitches. The pilot needed four stitches, and both escaped with what Tiffany described as minor injuries.
“I can’t thank them enough for what they did, but it’s by the grace of God that we are here today,” he said.
Tiffany had earlier said on Facebook that the plane had lost power as it approached the airport and that the pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau. He said the pair called 911 before leaving the aircraft as it began to submerge.
The cause of the loss of power remains under investigation. The plane was hauled from Lake Wausau on Monday.
Tiffany, who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since 2020, is due to face Democrat David Crowley in November’s gubernatorial election.
