Tom Tiffany says he swam from sinking plane in Lake Wausau

Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, said he and a pilot swam from a sinking plane after an emergency landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night.

Tiffany identified the aircraft as a Bonanza. His account places two people — Tiffany and the pilot — aboard the plane when it came down on the water. Both then had to enter the lake and swim away from the aircraft as it sank.

What Tiffany said happened

The episode began with an in-flight emergency that led to a water landing, Tiffany said. The plane landed in Lake Wausau rather than on land, and the situation continued after it reached the water because the aircraft was sinking.

Tiffany said he and the pilot swam from the plane. His statement describes a sequence in which the pilot made the emergency landing, the aircraft began going down in the lake, and both occupants left it for the water.

The incident occurred Saturday night. Tiffany has not connected it to his campaign for governor or to any election activity.

The aircraft and location

Tiffany described the plane as a Bonanza and the site as Lake Wausau. The central facts of his account are the emergency water landing, the sinking aircraft and the decision by both people aboard to swim away.

The pilot’s presence is significant to the basic sequence: Tiffany was a passenger alongside the person operating the plane. Tiffany’s account does not place any other people aboard.

The emergency involved both the initial landing and the need to leave the aircraft afterward. Reaching the water did not end the danger because the plane was sinking, requiring Tiffany and the pilot to move away from it by swimming.

Political context

Tiffany is seeking the Republican nomination for Wisconsin governor. The Lake Wausau incident, however, is not directly linked to a campaign event, an election proceeding or a vote.

His status as a candidate makes the episode relevant to Wisconsin political readers, but the event itself is an aviation emergency. It does not establish or change a policy position, and Tiffany’s account does not connect the landing to an issue in the governor’s race.

No other candidate is directly linked to the incident. The episode therefore does not present a campaign dispute between candidates or a comparison of their positions.

What may come next

Further public statements could add detail about the circumstances that led to the emergency landing and what happened after Tiffany and the pilot entered the lake. An official account could also establish a fuller timeline of the flight and the aircraft’s landing in Lake Wausau.

For now, Tiffany’s description establishes the main sequence: a Bonanza made an emergency water landing Saturday night, the plane began sinking, and Tiffany and the pilot swam from it. The development remains separate from the election process unless it later affects campaign scheduling or other public activities.