A pilot’s handling of the aircraft’s fuel system preceded the September crash into Lake Wausau that carried U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Oct. 14, 2026. The pilot told investigators the engine lost power because he delayed switching fuel tanks and did not turn on the electric fuel boost pump, the report says. Investigators found the left main tank empty, while the right main tank and both auxiliary tanks were full. The fuel selector was set to the right main tank and the boost-pump switch was off. The plane had departed earlier with 70 gallons of fuel and had not been refueled before the flight to Wausau. As the Beech K35 approached the airport, the pilot noticed an unusually high engine-exhaust temperature and changed the fuel selector to the right main tank. He advanced the mixture and throttle controls, but the engine did not respond. The plane struck the water as he tried to reach the runway. The NTSB report is preliminary; it records the pilot’s account and investigators’ observations but is not a final determination. The crash happened as Tiffany was returning from a Lincoln Day Dinner in La Crosse County. A 911 call came in at 8:49 p.m. Saturday, according to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office. Tiffany said he and the pilot left the aircraft as it began to sink, swam toward shallow water and waited for rescuers arriving by boat. Both men received stitches at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and were released. The sheriff’s office identified the pilot as 73-year-old Leonard Boltz of Pearson. Tiffany, a Republican running for governor, thanked the pilot and emergency crews after the crash. His Democratic opponent, David Crowley, also expressed relief that no one was seriously hurt. The episode brought an aviation-safety investigation into a closely watched state race, though the preliminary findings concern the aircraft’s operation, not Tiffany’s campaign.