Pilot Flying Congressman Tom Tiffany Makes Emergency Water Landing

Single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza K35 loses power, and pilot ‘did every single thing right.’

Jack Daleo

Monday, September 14, 2026 at 11:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

U.S. congressman Tom Tiffany and pilot Leonard Boltz escaped with minor injuries after their Beechcraft Bonanza K35 landed in a lake and began to submerge. [Credit: Geoff Sperring/Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany and his pilot, Leonard Boltz, made an emergency water landing on Lake Wausau after their Beechcraft Bonanza K35 lost power.
Both occupants sustained only minor injuries and were rescued by a fire department airboat after swimming to a sandbar.
The pilot was praised for his skillful handling of the emergency, including retracting the landing gear, which was described as a difficult maneuver.
The incident is currently under investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

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The pilot of a Beechcraft Bonanza K35 carrying U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) made an emergency water landing Saturday night after the aircraft lost power, according to remarks by Tiffany on Sunday.

In a post on X, Tiffany said he was returning from a dinner in Onalaska, Wisconsin, when the Bonanza “lost power,” without specifying whether it was a partial or full loss of power. He told reporters Sunday that the pilot, Leonard Boltz, attempted to restart the aircraft’s engine but was unsuccessful, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The Bonanza K35 runs on a single piston-powered Continental engine.