Tom Tiffany Says He Swam to Safety After Lake Landing

Rep. Tom Tiffany's trip home from a GOP dinner in western Wisconsin ended in a lake Saturday night. The congressman and Republican nominee for governor said in a post on X that he walked away with minor injuries after the small plane he was in lost power and ditched into Lake Wausau while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. Tiffany wrote on X that the Beechcraft K35's pilot made an emergency water landing, after which the pair called 911, escaped as the plane began to sink, and swam to a shallower area to await rescuers. Audio obtained by CNN captured responders confirming that both people aboard were "alert and conscious" as a boat returned them to shore.

Tiffany's campaign said Sunday that the candidate suffered a cut above his right eye that required stitches and that he and the pilot have been released from a hospital, per WBAY. He praised first responders and hospital staff. His Democratic opponent, David Crowley, wished the two a speedy recovery on X, per NBC News. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office said the aircraft appeared to have had a mechanical problem before the landing; the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.