Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany and a pilot swam to safety Saturday night after their small plane made an emergency landing on Lake Wausau following a mechanical failure.

Tiffany, Wisconsin's Republican gubernatorial nominee, said he was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner in Onalaska when the aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.

The Marathon County Sheriff's Office said the pilot, Leonard Boltz, made an emergency landing on the lake. Authorities received a 911 call reporting the crash at 20:49 local time.

"The 911 call had come in from one of the occupants of the plane. They were able to exit the plane and made the call while they were basically standing on top of the plane," Marathon County Sheriff's Office Lt. Cory Gladden said.

"As the plane began to submerge, we exited the aircraft and swam to a shallow area, where we waited until emergency responders reached us by boat," Tiffany wrote on social media.

A Wausau Fire Department airboat rescued the pair from shallow water at approximately 21:05 local time. According to the sheriff's office, that was roughly 15 minutes after the initial 911 call. Lt. Gladden said the two were in the water for approximately 20 minutes before responders located them.

The aircraft was a Beechcraft K35, a single-engine plane also known as a Bonanza, capable of carrying up to five people. Tiffany and Boltz were the only two on board.

Tiffany received a cut above his right eye and was later released from the hospital after receiving stitches. Boltz was also treated for minor injuries, according to the sheriff's office.

"God was watching over us tonight, and I am incredibly grateful to be here in the hospital with my wife, Chris, by my side," Tiffany said. "An experience like this reminds you just how precious life is."

The cause of the mechanical failure was not immediately determined. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

The plane remained in the lake as emergency crews worked to remove it.