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. Rep. Tom Tiffany and his pilot, Leonard Boltz, made an emergency water landing in central Wisconsin's Lake Wausau on Saturday night after their Beechcraft Bonanza K35 lost engine power.
Both occupants sustained only minor injuries, with Tiffany receiving stitches for a head injury, and were rescued by an airboat after swimming to a sandbar.
The pilot was highly praised by an airport manager for his skilled handling of the emergency, including retracting the landing gear, which contributed to their safe escape.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the incident, with the submerged aircraft scheduled for removal from the lake.

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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.