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By Daniel Orton, Emma Marsden, and Alice Gibbs
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Newly released emergency dispatch audio captured the moments first responders rescued Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany and his pilot after their small plane lost power and made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday night.
"We have two victims in the water. We're just pulling them out now," a responder can be heard saying in the recording as first responders rescued the plane's two occupants. The responder added, "Both are alert."
The audio, taken from emergency radio traffic shortly after the crash, also suggests that first responders temporarily lost contact with the plane's occupants after the aircraft went underwater.
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"I believe his phone is underwater. They may be swimming south, I believe," the responder said.
The dispatch traffic appears to align with Tiffany's later account of the ordeal. Tiffany said he received stitches above his right eye but that neither man suffered more serious injuries. He said he would address the media later on Sunday in Wausau.
The Republican said he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot then landed the plane on the water, according to a post on X.
“After landing, we called 911,” Tiffany said. “As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat.”
Wausau Fire Chief Jeremy Kopp told Newsweek Sunday: “We responded and used our airboat to rescue two people and transported them to Aspirus hospital for minor injuries.”
In a further statement Sunday, Tiffany confirmed that he and the pilot had both been released from the hospital.
“I’m especially grateful to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, law enforcement, first responders, and the team at Aspirus Wausau Hospital for their incredible care and quick response,” he said.
In his initial statement from the hospital, Tiffany also said: “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.”
A report attributed to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said a private aircraft went into Lake Wausau at about 9 p.m. Saturday. The aircraft was a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza, a single-engine plane commonly used for private and business travel.
Local authorities, including the Wisconsin DNR and State Patrol, secured the scene. The aircraft was marked with a buoy, and the public was urged to keep a safe distance, as reported by WSAW-TV.
The cause of the incident was not immediately known. The investigation has been handed over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and may involve the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with further details likely to emerge as authorities examine the aircraft and circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.
A spokesperson for the FAA told Newsweek on Sunday: "A Beechcraft K35 crashed into Lake Wausau in Wisconsin, around 8:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, September 12. Two people were on board." The agency confirmed it is investigating the incident and will post a preliminary incident report, which is usually posted on the next business day.
Newsweek contacted Marathon County, the NTSB and Tiffany's campaign via email Sunday for comment.
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Tiffany's Democratic Opponent Reacts to News
Tiffany’s campaign schedule currently lists events in Dodge County and Fond du Lac on Thursday. No changes to his upcoming campaign appearances had been announced as of Sunday.
The November race will pit Tiffany against David Crowley, who serves as Milwaukee County executive and secured the Democratic nomination in August. Tiffany, a Trump-endorsed Republican who represents Wisconsin’s seventh Congressional District, also won his party’s nomination that month.
Reacting to the incident on X, Crowley said he was relieved that Tiffany and the pilot escaped serious injury.
"I'm 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," he said.
"I wish them and the Congressman a quick recovery and that they can find solace with their loved ones."
More information from the sheriff’s office is expected Sunday.
Politicians and Small-Plane Travel
Small aircraft have long been used by American candidates and officeholders traveling between events, particularly in geographically large or rural states. Aviation accidents have also shaped political history: an aircraft carrying Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone crashed near Eveleth, Minnesota, in October 2002 while approaching a municipal airport. The National Transportation Safety Board later examined flight-crew proficiency, operator training, federal oversight and low-airspeed awareness in its investigation.
In October 2000, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan was aboard a twin-engine Cessna traveling to a campaign event when it crashed; an NTSB investigation docket identifies Carnahan, his son and a staff member as the occupants traveling that evening.
Who Is Tom Tiffany?
Tom Tiffany is a Republican congressman and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate whose political career has taken him from local government to the state Legislature and then Washington. He has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since a 2020 special election, after serving in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature.
In Congress, he serves on the Judiciary and Natural Resources committees, including as chair of the Federal Lands Subcommittee.
Tiffany launched his campaign for governor in September 2025. His campaign has foregrounded property taxes, regulation, farmland and other economic issues, according to his campaign materials.
Where Does Tom Tiffany Live?
His official biography emphasizes his rural Wisconsin background, including growing up on a dairy farm, earning a degree in agricultural economics and running an excursion-boat business with his wife.
Tiffany lives in the Town of Little Rice, near Hazelhurst in Oneida County, northern Wisconsin, according to his 2026 gubernatorial nomination paperwork. The area is part of Wisconsin’s Northwoods and includes the Willow Flowage.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Robert Greenall
Update 9/13/26, 7:20 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from the FAA.
Update 9/13/26, 9:39 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from the Wausau Fire Chief.
Update 9/13/26, 11:06 a.m. ET: This story was updated with a public statement from Tom Tiffany.
Update 9/14/26, 3:21 a.m. ET: This story was updated with new information.
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