The Tom Tiffany plane landing on Lake Wausau came down to a pilot’s judgment and four words of warning delivered seconds before impact.

Pull your seatbelt tight.

That was the instruction the Wisconsin congressman received from pilot Len Boltz on Saturday night as their single-engine aircraft lost power on final approach.

I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight, Tiffany said. Roughly ten seconds later, the plane hit the water.

A Long Campaign Day

Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor in November’s election, had spent Saturday on the road.

His day began campaigning at Dairy Days in Platteville, followed by a series of stops across western Wisconsin that concluded with the Lincoln Day Dinner in La Crosse.

From there he boarded a four-seat Beechcraft K35 Bonanza piloted by Boltz for the flight home.

What Went Wrong

The aircraft was on final approach into Wausau Downtown Airport around 8:45 p.m. when the single engine suddenly lost power.

Tiffany credited Boltz’s rapid decision-making with saving both their lives. Recognising the plane could not reach the runway, Boltz retracted the landing gear, a manoeuvre that proved critical. Extended gear catching the water surface would likely have flipped the aircraft violently.

Tiffany estimated their speed at 70 to 80 miles per hour at the point of contact, describing the experience as a fast-moving car crash. His only injury came from his head striking the dash in front of him. They were fortunate, he said, that the plane did not flip.

Out of the Aircraft and Into the Dark

Both men were able to exit the plane after it settled in the water. Boltz called 911, and emergency crews were en route within minutes.

The two remained on top of the aircraft for roughly ten minutes before deciding to swim toward shore.

After covering somewhere between 100 and 150 feet, Tiffany felt his feet touch bottom on a shallow sandbar. The two men stood there in the dark and waited.

The Rescue

The response drew on multiple agencies and water craft.

The Wausau Fire Department deployed an airboat and a Rapid Deployment Craft, while the SAFER Fire Department launched a boat from Bluegill Park. Crews recovered both men from the water and brought them to shore.

Injuries and Recovery

Tiffany and Boltz were taken to a local hospital.

Tiffany received 12 stitches above his right eyebrow and underwent a CT scan to rule out a concussion. Boltz needed four stitches. Both were discharged overnight.

Doctors instructed Tiffany not to fly for several days, which forced him to cancel planned travel to Washington, D.C., early this week.

The Campaign Continues

Speaking at a Sunday afternoon press conference at the Wausau Fire Department, flanked by first responders and local officials, Tiffany made clear the incident will not interrupt his campaign for governor.

He signed up to run for the office a year ago, he said, and intends to finish the job.

What Happens to the Plane

The Beechcraft remains submerged in Lake Wausau, marked by a no-wake buoy while recovery operations are arranged.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into the cause of the power failure. Those inquiries typically take months to produce findings, examining fuel systems, mechanical components and maintenance records.

Why the Gear Decision Mattered

For anyone unfamiliar with aviation, the detail about retracting the landing gear deserves emphasis.

In a water landing, extended wheels act as anchors. They dig into the surface on contact, arresting the front of the aircraft while momentum carries the rest forward, which commonly causes the plane to flip or break apart. A belly landing allows the fuselage to skip and decelerate more evenly.

Boltz made that call in the seconds available to him, alongside the decision to ditch on water rather than attempt to stretch a glide toward terrain he could not reach. Both choices are taught, and both require executing under extreme time pressure.

The outcome, two men walking away with stitches from a night-time engine failure over water, is close to the best case available in that situation.