U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and pilot Len Boltz escaped a single-engine plane after it lost power during its final approach to Wausau Downtown Airport around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, forcing an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. Tiffany described the incident Sunday at a press conference at the Wausau Fire Department. He said Boltz told him to pull his seatbelt tight moments before the Beechcraft K35 Bonanza struck the water. “I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight,” Tiffany said. “It was probably about 10 seconds later ... we hit the water.” Boltz retracted the aircraft’s landing gear after realizing the plane could not reach the runway, a decision Tiffany said helped prevent the aircraft from flipping. Tiffany estimated they were traveling between 70 and 80 mph when they hit the lake. “It was just a fast-moving car crash,” Tiffany said. “All that happened to me was my head hit the dash in front of me. We’re just really fortunate the plane didn’t flip.” The two men exited the aircraft and remained on top of it for about 10 minutes before swimming toward shore. After traveling an estimated 100 to 150 feet, Tiffany said, they reached the bottom on a shallow sandbar and waited for rescuers. The Wausau Fire Department sent an airboat and a Rapid Deployment Craft. The SAFER Fire Department launched a boat from Bluegill Park. Crews brought both men to shore and transported them to a local hospital. Tiffany received 12 stitches above his right eyebrow and underwent a CT scan to check for a concussion. Boltz received four stitches. Both were released from the hospital overnight. Tiffany, a Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor in the November election, had spent Saturday campaigning at Dairy Days in Platteville before traveling to western Wisconsin stops, including the Lincoln Day Dinner in La Crosse. Doctors advised him not to fly for several days, preventing planned travel to Washington, D.C., early this week. The congressman said the crash would not stop his campaign. “I signed up for this job to be governor of the state of Wisconsin a year ago ... and we’re going to finish the job,” Tiffany said. The aircraft remained submerged in Lake Wausau as of Sunday and was marked with a no-wake buoy while recovery plans were arranged. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating why the plane lost engine power.