Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany said Sunday he suffered only minor injuries after the small plane he was traveling in lost power and made an emergency landing on Lake Wausau, an incident that could have turned tragic had the pilot not been able to bring the aircraft down safely on the water. Tiffany, who is also the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, said he and the pilot swam to shallow water and waited for first responders as the plane began to sink.

The Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany plane crash happened Saturday night as Tiffany was returning from a political event in western Wisconsin. Local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating what caused the aircraft to lose power on its approach to Wausau Downtown Airport.

What Happened Saturday Night

According to Tiffany’s own account, posted to social media, he was flying back from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the plane lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. Rather than attempt to reach the runway, the pilot made the decision to put the aircraft down on Lake Wausau, a body of water on the Wisconsin River near the city of Wausau in north-central Wisconsin.

As the plane began taking on water and submerging, Tiffany and the pilot got out of the aircraft and swam to a shallow area of the lake, where they waited for emergency crews to reach them. CBS affiliate WSAW-TV reported that a private plane went down in Lake Wausau at around 9 p.m. local time, citing the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. The Wausau Fire Department and other first responders were credited by Tiffany with reaching the scene quickly.

Tiffany said both he and the pilot were taken to a hospital afterward, where he was still recovering as of Sunday morning alongside his wife, Chris. He described the injuries both men sustained as minor.

What Tiffany Said Afterward

In a social media post Sunday, Tiffany thanked the emergency responders who came to help them, saying he was deeply grateful to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department and everyone else who assisted. He said he was thankful that both he and the pilot escaped with only minor injuries, despite the seriousness of the emergency landing.

Tiffany also reflected on the experience in personal terms, saying in his post that he felt watched over during the incident and was grateful to be recovering in the hospital with his wife nearby. He described the emergency as a reminder of how precious life is.

Reaction From His Political Opponent

Tiffany’s Democratic opponent in the Wisconsin governor’s race, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, responded to the news on social media as well. Crowley said he was grateful that Tiffany and no one else was hurt in what he called a horrifying incident, adding that the outcome could have been a tragedy if not for the pilot’s actions.

The response from Crowley came despite the two men being political rivals in one of the most closely watched governor’s races in the country this cycle, illustrating how emergencies involving public officials can, at least briefly, set aside campaign rhetoric.

Who Is Tom Tiffany?

Tiffany represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, a largely rural district covering much of northern Wisconsin, including the Wausau area. He won the Republican nomination for governor of Wisconsin in the state’s August primary without serious opposition and is now facing Crowley in the November 3 general election.

Incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers chose not to seek a third term, leaving the governor’s seat open in a state widely viewed as one of the most competitive political battlegrounds in the country. Tiffany has been closely aligned with President Trump throughout his time in Congress, while Crowley, who would become Wisconsin’s first Black governor if elected, has positioned himself as a candidate who can work across party lines.

A Closely Watched Governor’s Race

The plane incident comes in the middle of an already high-profile campaign. Crowley won a narrow victory over progressive state Representative Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary in August, a race that had been considered wide open before Crowley reentered it with the backing of Governor Evers. Multiple public polls conducted since the primaries have shown a tight race between Crowley and Tiffany, with some surveys giving Crowley a small lead and others showing the race essentially tied.

Since the general election campaign began, Tiffany has focused much of his messaging on tying Crowley to Hong’s more progressive positions and criticizing Crowley’s record as Milwaukee County executive, while Crowley has argued that Tiffany’s voting record shows close alignment with President Trump at a time when the president’s approval ratings have softened in the state. Both campaigns have also sparred over issues like data center development in Wisconsin, an emerging topic that pollsters say is likely to be more prominent in this election cycle than in past governor’s races.

Why Small Plane Emergencies Hppen

Emergency landings caused by a loss of engine power are among the scenarios small aircraft pilots train for extensively, and water landings, sometimes called ditching, are a recognized emergency procedure when a suitable runway or open field is not within reach. Landing on a lake or river allows a pilot to bring an aircraft down on a relatively flat, obstruction-free surface, though it carries its own risks, including the aircraft flipping or sinking quickly once it contacts the water.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration typically examine incidents like this one to determine what caused the loss of power, whether it was a mechanical failure, fuel-related problem, or another issue, and whether the pilot followed appropriate emergency procedures. Cases that result in a serious injury, death, or substantial damage to the aircraft can also draw involvement from the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States.

Impact on the Wisconsin Governor’s Race

It remains unclear whether Saturday’s incident will have any lasting effect on the governor’s race, though it briefly became a point of bipartisan sympathy rather than political conflict. Crowley’s statement of concern for Tiffany’s safety, despite the two men’s opposing campaigns, reflects a common pattern in American politics in which rivals set aside disagreements in the immediate aftermath of a health scare or accident involving a fellow candidate.

Tiffany has not indicated whether the incident will affect his campaign schedule in the coming days. With the general election roughly seven weeks away, both candidates have been campaigning heavily across the state, and any extended recovery time could affect Tiffany’s ability to keep pace with planned events.

What Happens Next

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the power loss that forced the emergency landing, according to WSAW-TV’s report citing the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. No additional details about the aircraft type, the pilot’s identity, or the specific mechanical issue involved have been released publicly as of Sunday.