A Republican congressman had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late on Saturday night.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is recovering in hospital and says he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.
The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau.
They both ended up in the water and swam to safety.
Tiffany is running for governor on the Republican ticket in Wisconsin and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The plane Tiffany was traveling in was a single-engine, four-seat Bonanza aircraft.
"After landing, we called 911. 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," he wrote on X.
Emergency responders got both Tiffany and the pilot to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.
The post in full read:
“While returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner tonight, the plane I was traveling in lost power as we approached the Wausau Downtown Airport.
“The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau. After landing, we called 911. 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.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the pilot, the Wausau Fire Department, and all of the first responders who came to our aid so quickly. They got us safely off the water and transported us to Aspirus Wausau Hospital, where we received excellent care. Thankfully, both the pilot and I sustained only minor injuries.
“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.”
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