How Much Does a Crop Duster Plane Cost? (2026 Pricing)

What Crop Dusters Are Asking

Ag Air Update runs a classified page for agricultural aircraft, and each listing shows its own posting date. On 30 October 2026 the first page showed 14 turbine Air Tractor and Thrush airplanes with a price. Their listing dates run from 23 September to 28 October 2026.

The sample is small and it's one page of one classifieds site. The lowest ask is $490,000 for a 2005 Thrush S2R-T34, the highest is $1,790,000 for a 2024 Thrush 710, and the median of the 14 is $887,500 (our arithmetic). Five listings are from 2009 or earlier and ask $490,000 to $975,000. The newest 2019 and 2026 Air Tractor 502 models ask $1.4 million and $1.5 million.

The same page also showed four Ag Cat biplanes from 1976 to 1985. Three asked $108,000 to $285,000, and a 1982 Schweizer G-164B Frakes with a PT6A-34AG turboprop conversion asked $415,000. Several other listings on the page carried no price at all, so they're not in these numbers.

Asking prices aren't sale prices. The dealer's quote on a new airplane isn't published, and we found no maker price list for a new Air Tractor or Thrush. Ask the maker or a broker for a current quote before you plan around any figure on this page.

Turbine or Piston

NAAA's industry facts page says 81% of agricultural aircraft are turbine powered and 19% piston. It also says 84% are fixed-wing and 16% are rotorcraft, and that each aerial application business operates 2.3 aircraft on average. The aircraft are built for 30 to 100 takeoffs and landings a day from rough strips.

Our priced sample is Air Tractor and Thrush turbines, so it can't separate the effects of engine type, hopper size, age or condition on asking prices.

The Airplanes Behind the Prices

Two Air Tractor models show how far apart the range sits. Wikipedia's specification tables attribute these figures to editions of Jane's All the World's Aircraft. They're a secondary reference, so confirm the figures for an airplane you're pricing with the maker.

The AT-802 is the largest airplane in the Air Tractor line. Those are base figures, and a given airplane's weight limits depend on its configuration and certification, so check the flight manual for the one you're pricing.

How Many Are Flying

The FAA register shows 1,757 Air Tractor aircraft with a valid registration as of 13 October 2026, out of 1,810 records. The Thrush Aircraft makers add 143 valid registrations from 157 records. Ayres-built airplanes and other makes such as the Grumman Ag Cat sit under other maker names on the register, so they're not in these counts.

The table shows the eight biggest model labels, and the family has a long tail of older types. By build year, 542 Air Tractors date from the 2010s and 304 from the 2020s so far, against 338 from the 1990s, 248 from the 2000s, 116 from the 1980s and 26 from the 1970s. A further 183 records have no usable build year. The Thrush counts lean newer, with 74 from the 2010s and 39 from the 2020s.

Texas holds the most Air Tractors by registration address with 223, then Arkansas with 149, and Nebraska and Kansas with 99 each. Businesses own most of them: 794 are registered to corporations and 764 to LLCs, against 128 to individuals. The register records the owner type, not how the aircraft is used.

The Business Around the Airplane

Owners buy these airplanes to earn money, so the market numbers matter as much as the sticker. NAAA's industry facts give the shape of that market.

NAAA also gives one productivity comparison from Mississippi: an aircraft treats about 1,800 acres in an average 12-hour day, against 450 acres for a ground rig. NAAA uses this Mississippi equipment comparison to illustrate application productivity. We found no sourced margin or revenue-per-acre number for a small operator, so this page doesn't give one.

The Rules You Have to Meet

Buying the airplane is the easy part. 14 CFR 137.11 generally requires an agricultural aircraft operator certificate, subject to the exceptions in that section, and 137.19 sets separate requirements for private and commercial certificates.

• Pilot. A private operator must hold a current private, commercial or airline transport pilot certificate with the right rating for the aircraft. A commercial operator must have access to at least one commercial or airline transport pilot, and may be that pilot (137.19).
• Aircraft. The applicant must have at least one certificated and airworthy aircraft equipped for agricultural operation (137.19(d)).
• Knowledge test. The applicant, or the chief supervisor, shows knowledge of the pre-operation survey of the work area, safe handling and disposal of pesticides and their containers, the effects of chemicals on plants, animals and people, signs of poisoning and emergency response, aircraft performance and limits, and safe flight and application procedures (137.19(e)(1)).
• Skill test. The applicant, or the person designated as chief supervisor, shows short-field and soft-field takeoffs, approaches into the work area, flare-outs, swath runs, and pullups and turnarounds, flown at the aircraft's maximum certificated takeoff weight or special-purpose load weight, whichever is greater (137.19(e)(2)).
• Pilot in command. No one may act as pilot in command unless they hold the pilot certificate and rating 137.19 requires for that type of operation (137.41(c)).

This is a summary of the rule text, not legal advice. Read the current rule on the eCFR and talk to your local FAA Flight Standards office before you buy.

What You Pay for After You Buy

A crop duster's running costs come from the same few places on every airplane. We don't print dollar figures for them because we found no maker or operator source we'd stand behind.

• Engine. A turboprop has a time between overhauls. HangarMath, a modelling site, estimates an AT-802 engine overhaul at $320,000 to $480,000. That's an estimate, not a quote, we haven't verified it, and it doesn't show how the overhaul ranks among an operator's expenses.
• Fuel. HangarMath puts the same airplane at 50 gallons an hour at normal cruise. Your hourly fuel cost is that number times your fuel price.
• Insurance. Ask an aviation insurance broker which coverage your operation needs and get quotes for your own aircraft, pilots and operation.
• Ground support. A loader truck, chemical storage and handling, and a hangar or ramp space near the fields all cost money, and they depend on how big your operation is.
• The pilot. If you don't fly it yourself, you pay a pilot. NAAA reports average industry experience of 19.4 years for hired ag pilots and 27.9 years for operators.

Accident Record: Counts, Not Rates

The NTSB file lists 920 airplane accidents from 2008 through 2025 where the type of flying was aerial application. Of those, 151 were fatal, with 154 deaths. An Air Tractor was involved in 370 of the 920, and 71 of those were fatal. The yearly count fell from 84 in 2008 to 40 in 2025.

These are counts. The NTSB file holds no flying hours by model, so these counts can't show that one make or model is safer than another. For 2009 to 2018, NAAA attributes 9% of aerial application fatalities to tower collisions and reports power line collisions in 13% of accidents and 12% of reported fatalities. Flying low among wires and towers is part of the job's risk.

Is It Worth Buying In?

Demand is real. NAAA says aerial applicators treat about a quarter of the cropland in production, and operators run an average of 2.3 aircraft each. But demand isn't the same as profit. Season length, chemical prices, weather, grower relationships and a pilot's hours all decide the result, and we found no sourced margin to quote.

If you're weighing a purchase, price three things before you look at a single airplane: the certificate and a qualified pilot, the airplane with an independent pre-buy inspection, and the ground support that lets it fly a full day. For the wider range of aircraft prices, see our guides to the Cessna Caravan, cargo planes and the types of planes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a crop duster plane cost?

In 14 turbine Air Tractor and Thrush listings read on 30 October 2026, asking prices ran from $490,000 to $1,790,000 with a median of $887,500. NAAA gives a range of $100,000 to nearly $2 million for agricultural aircraft overall.

What's the cheapest crop duster?

In the same classifieds, three older Ag Cat biplanes from 1976 to 1985 asked $108,000 to $285,000. The cheapest turbine Air Tractor or Thrush in our sample was a 2005 Thrush S2R-T34 at $490,000.

How many Air Tractors are there?

The FAA register lists 1,757 Air Tractor aircraft with a valid registration as of 13 October 2026, out of 1,810 records. The AT-802A is the most common model label, with 553.

Do you need a special certificate to crop dust?

Yes. 14 CFR Part 137 requires an agricultural aircraft operator certificate, a pilot with the right certificate and rating, an equipped airworthy aircraft, and a knowledge test and flown skill test.

Are most crop dusters turbine or piston?

NAAA says 81% of agricultural aircraft are turbine powered and 19% piston, and that 84% are fixed-wing and 16% rotorcraft.

Is crop dusting dangerous?

The NTSB file counts 920 airplane accidents in aerial application flying from 2008 through 2025, 151 of them fatal. The file has no flying hours, so it gives counts and not a rate. For 2009 to 2018, NAAA attributes 9% of fatalities to tower collisions and reports power line collisions in 12% of reported fatalities.