Aircraft model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The AT-402B is a mid-sized turbine Air Tractor with a 400-gallon hopper and a PT6A-15AG. The B suffix denotes the two-seat version, used for training and for firefighting where a second crew member is carried. It is one of the most numerous ag aircraft in service.
It sits between the smaller 301-series aircraft and the big 502 and 802 in capacity, which for many operators is the right size — enough load per trip without the fuel burn and runway requirement of a larger machine. The assessment is industrial: hopper capacity, engine time since hot section and overhaul, airframe hours and especially cycles, and chemical corrosion. Air Tractor remains the largest manufacturer in the sector and supports the type well, which is a real advantage.
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Put AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B side by side with up to two other models.
- AIR TRACTOR INC AT-402B
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-15AG |
| Horsepower | 680 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1990 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 60 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 5,400 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 4,288 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 9,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 4,000 lb |
| Usable fuel | 166 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 45 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $300,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $950,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,600 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $320,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $480,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 131 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 77 |
| Median year built | 2008.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 103.9 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 19 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 24.68 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 14 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 77 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 77 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 77 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, turbo-prop, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5 of 103 |
| Support | 5.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.6 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 0 · 10 models in class.
- Severity: class median 25.53.
- Access: class median 6,509.
- Support: class median 78.
- Liquidity: class median 23.47.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.