Tom Llamas Leads a Night of Crashes, Controversy and Close Calls
NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas’ September 14 episode moved through a night of dramatic close calls, from a Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate surviving an emergency plane landing to a fiery construction-site collapse in Miami — plus a music controversy pulling Macklemore off Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour.
One of the night’s most harrowing reports centered on Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin. Tiffany was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the small plane carrying him lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot made an emergency water landing in Lake Wausau, where Tiffany and the pilot escaped the sinking aircraft and swam to shallower water before rescuers reached them.
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Tiffany and the pilot both suffered minor injuries and were treated at a hospital. The plane was later recovered from the lake as federal authorities began investigating what caused the loss of power. A campaign trip turning into a sinking-aircraft escape is the kind of story that barely sounds real until the pictures arrive.
In Miami, another frightening scene unfolded when an 85-foot drilling rig collapsed in Brickell, crushing vehicles and a construction container before one vehicle caught fire. Crews raced into a complicated rescue operation as thick smoke rose from the wreckage. Four people were hospitalized with injuries authorities described as minor — an almost unbelievable outcome given how violent the collapse looked.
The broadcast also moved into entertainment news with Macklemore confirming he had been removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his onstage support for Palestinians and repeated “Free Palestine” remarks. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group said upcoming venues had informed the promoter they would not host concerts with Macklemore on the lineup.
Macklemore said Sheeran had been placed in a difficult position and alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had pressured Sheeran and other stadium owners over his participation. Kraft has publicly framed his response around combating antisemitism, while Macklemore has rejected the idea that criticism of the Israeli government is inherently antisemitic. The dispute turned what began as an opening-act slot into one of the week’s biggest music-industry controversies.
It was that kind of Nightly News: one hour moving from a plane in a lake to twisted steel in Miami to a stadium-tour fight spilling far beyond the stage.
NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas — September 14, 2026
The September 14 broadcast covers the Tom Tiffany emergency landing, Miami’s Brickell drilling-rig collapse, Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour and more of the day’s major headlines.
Sources: NBC Nightly News; Reuters; Associated Press.
