Tom Tiffany plane crashes into Lake Wausau, aviation expert weighs in
Tom Tiffany plane crashes into Lake Wausau, expert weighs in
Investigators are now working to figure out what happened to the plane carrying Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany. It made an emergency crash landing on Lake Wausau. Aviation experts said training and preparation were key to a safe emergency landing on water.
WAUSAU, Wis. - Investigators are now working to figure out what happened to the plane carrying Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany. It made an emergency crash landing on Lake Wausau.
"Len said to me, we are going down, pull your seatbelt tight and that's exactly what I did," said Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany.
Tiffany was on board the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza along with the pilot when it lost power. Surveillance of it going down is dark but shows just how quickly it all happened.
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Tom Tiffany plane crashes into Lake Wausau, removed from water
Crews removed a plane from Lake Wausau after the aircraft, carrying U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, made an emergency landing in the water on Saturday night.
Aviation expert weighs in
What they're saying:
"Obviously, the question is why? Why did the engine lose power and that will be the key to this whole thing," Jeff Baum said.
Baum is the president of Wisconsin Aviation and has been a pilot for 55 years. He said the water might have been the best spot for the plane to land in at that moment.
"Pilots are always trained to look at what-if scenarios," Baum said.
Baum said in a situation like this, it goes back to preparation. Engine failure is often practiced.
"We always train on what happens if you lose your engine. The airplane becomes a big glider," Baum said.
He explained the pilot in Saturday's incident seemed to know what to do.
"Apparently, pulled up the landing gear and landed on the belly. Did not cartwheel, did not flip the airplane. So, there was some skill involved there," Baum said.
A moment not lost on anyone, realizing it could have been much worse.
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"We were just really fortunate," Tiffany said.
What's next:
An investigation is underway to try to figure out exactly what went wrong. That is being done by the FAA and NTSB. Baum told FOX6 News they will look at things like mechanical failure, fuel issues, pilot action and weather conditions.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Ashley Sears and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Tom Tiffany, Jeff Baum, FAA, and NTSB.