N8016Z

N8016Z is an Air Tractor AT-660, a single-engine turboprop operated by THRUSH AIRCRAFT LLC. SkyMeter has tracked 28 flights totalling 26 hours of airtime via ADS-B. The most frequent segment is KABY to KABY. Service window in our records spans 34 days. Of those flights, 2 (7.1%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Air Tractor AT-660 has a maximum takeoff weight of 16,000 lb, light wake category.

About the Air Tractor AT-660

The Air Tractor AT-660 is a purpose-built agricultural turbine aircraft manufactured by Air Tractor Inc. of Olney, Texas, representing the company's largest single-engine ag-plane. Introduced in the early 2000s, the AT-660 is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG turboprop producing 1,350 shaft horsepower, driving a five-blade Hartzell constant-speed propeller. With a maximum takeoff weight of 16,000 pounds and a hopper capacity of 800 US gallons, it delivers exceptional payload performance for aerial application operations including crop dusting, fertilizer spreading, and firefighting.

The AT-660's robust airframe and powerful engine enable it to operate from short, unprepared strips typical of agricultural work, while its low-wing design provides excellent visibility and spray pattern control. The aircraft's never-exceed speed of 204 knots and structural cruising speed of 174 knots give it the performance envelope needed for efficient ferry flights between job sites, while its relatively benign stall characteristics (68 knots full-flap, 76 knots clean) provide safety margins during low-altitude application passes. The cockpit is equipped with a steel-tube roll cage and energy-absorbing seats to protect the pilot in the event of an accident, reflecting the inherently hazardous nature of low-level agricultural aviation.

Air Tractor's reputation for rugged construction and field serviceability has made the AT-660 popular with aerial application operators worldwide, particularly in regions with large-scale farming operations requiring high daily acreage coverage. The type competes directly with turbine conversions of older ag-aircraft and purpose-built designs from Thrush Aircraft, offering a balance of payload capacity, speed, and operating economics that suits commercial spray operators and firefighting contractors alike.

SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the largest observed operator.