Aircraft model
AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The AT-502A is the uprated 500-gallon Air Tractor, with the more powerful PT6A-34AG and a 9,400 lb gross weight — considerably more than the original AT-502. The extra power and weight mean more chemical per trip, which is the only measure that matters in agricultural aviation.
It is one of the most numerous turbine ag aircraft in service and Air Tractor, the largest manufacturer in the sector, continues to build and support the line. The assessment remains industrial: hopper capacity, engine time since hot section and overhaul, airframe hours and cycles, and corrosion from chemical exposure. Air Tractor's three closely related 502 variants differ in engine and gross weight, so confirm which a specific aircraft actually is against its paperwork.
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Put AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502A side by side with up to two other models.
- AIR TRACTOR INC AT-502A
What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34AG |
| Horsepower | 750 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1990 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 140 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 400 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 60 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| 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 | 50 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $350,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,250,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 3,600 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $340,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $510,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 129 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 96 |
| Median year built | 2018.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 8 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 83.33 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 20 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.83 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 16 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 96 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 96 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 96 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, turbo-prop, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 7 of 103 |
| Support | 6.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.3 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.