landing

WAUSAU, Wis. — U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, wiped away tears and laughed while sharing how thankful he was Sunday to survive a harrowing late-night emergency landing into a lake of the small plane he was riding in.

The pilot “said we are going down,” Tiffany told reporters at a downtown Wausau firehouse. “‘Pull your seat belt tight.’ I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight. It was probably about 10 seconds later … we hit the water.”

Tiffany said he and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, remained on top of the plane in Lake Wausau until it began sinking. They decided on swimming to shore. He said they swam about 100 to 150 feet until they reached water shallow enough to stand in.

“We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night,” said Tiffany, 68.

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Boltz called 911 after the pair got out of the plane. They were rescued by emergency responders in a fire department airboat just after 9 p.m.

“The gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point,” Tiffany said Sunday. “We were making jokes every step of the way last night. Though we knew it was a serious situation, we tried to keep it light through the whole thing.”

David Crowley, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, wished Tiffany a “quick recovery” in a post on X and lauded the “heroism of the pilot.”

Tiffany said he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.

Tiffany said he had a cut above his right eye that required 12 stitches. Boltz, who Tiffany said is a retired Air Force pilot, also suffered cuts and received four stitches.

Tiffany said the incident will not affect his gubernatorial campaign.

A no-wake buoy was placed near the plane, which remained in the lake, and boaters were asked to avoid the area until the aircraft can be removed, the sheriff’s office said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency would investigate the incident. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said that agency is waiting for the FAA to assess the plane as to whether the damage was substantial enough for it to get involved.

THIS is the scary moment a Ryanair plane’s wingtip hit the ground as it came into land at Dublin Airport.

A passenger filmed the moment the plane lurched to the right and suffered a “minor wingtip impact” during a rough landing yesterday morning.

The Boeing 737 Max, which took off from Bologna just after 8am came in to land at Dublin at 10.45am.

As it touched down on the runway, the plane tumbled onto its right-hand side.

Shocked passengers watched as the wing tips of the plane brushed against the runway.

Recognising the danger of the dodgy landing, the Ryanair pilots immediately brought the engines up to full power to perform a go-around.

This is where a plane aborts its landing attempt and flies in a loop around the airport to try again.

The two pilots were able to guide the plane safely onto the ground about 15 minutes later.

In a statement, Ryanair described the incident as a “minor wingtip impact”.

A spokesperson told us yesterday: “On landing in Dublin this evening (10 Sept) Ryanair flight FR9457 from Bologna suffered a minor wing tip impact.

“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers offloaded normally.

“Our engineers are now repairing this wing tip and the aircraft is expected back into service tomorrow morning (11 Sept).”

It comes as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary came under fire for “shameful” comments he made describing other airlines as “high-fare rapists”.

The Ryanair chief landed himself in hot water ahead of his budget airline’s annual general meeting in Dublin yesterday.

The billionaire businessman, 65, claimed rising air travel prices at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair, before doubling down on his claims.

In response, Labour’s Laura Harmon urged the notorious motormouth to engage with organisations like the Rape Crisis Centre, and to apologise for his “shocking” language.

The senator fumed: “Michael O’Leary must apologise for the comments he made in advance of Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin.

“The casual use of the word ‘rapist’ to describe the prices of his competitors is deeply shocking and could be traumatising for any survivor of sexual abuse.

“We should have a zero-tolerance approach to sexual violence. In recent years, due to the tireless work of activists and the bravery of survivors of sexual violence who have shared their stories, Ireland has taken a strong stance in support of survivors.

“It is shameful to see O’Leary diminish the real experience of these survivors in such a way.”

Harmon continued: “Every week brings shocking new statistics and stories about the levels of domestic and sexual violence against women in our country.

“Reports conducted by organisations like the National Women’s Council of Ireland often detail the systemic challenges victims of domestic violence are faced with when they look for help – through the courts and the legal system, and through first responders like the Gardai.

“Having O’Leary make such ignorant comments only adds to this. I would urge him to come out and apologise today, and commit to informing himself about the real trauma of sexual violence.”

Fianna Fail’s Lorraine Clifford-Lee also condemned O’Leary’s comments as “a new low” for the Ryanair CEO.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

A cargo plane for the retail company Amazon has crashed in the United States after overrunning its runway while landing at Miami International Airport, disrupting one of the country’s busiest airports.

In a post on social media, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a Boeing 767-300 aircraft overran the runway at 2pm ET (6pm GMT) upon arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said “multiple vehicles” were struck by the plane, which caught on fire after it crashed. The department said it was working to extinguish the blaze and is assessing the status of people affected by the crash.

It’s not clear how many crew members or passengers were on board the plane. No details regarding potential injuries or fatalities were provided.

An Amazon spokesperson said the plane was operated by 21 Air and experienced “an incident” while attempting to land.

“We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. “Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, wellbeing, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.”

Videos circulating online show black smoke billowing from the scene near the runway. Early reports indicated that the aircraft veered off the runway and crossed a road near the airport.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates major transportation-related accidents, confirmed that it was aware of the crash and would provide additional updates as more information became available.

US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said his agency had issued a full ground stop in Miami after the incident, urging travellers to anticipate “significant delays”.

The cause of the incident is unknown. The FAA said it is investigating.