The video above is ABC13's livestream.
The incident happened Tuesday at about 5 p.m. in Onalaska along Highway 287.
According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the single-engine air tanker went down in Lake Livingston while doing water drops on a wildfire. The pilot was quickly rescued and taken to shore.
"Our thoughts are with the pilot, their family and friends as well as all personnel involved," the forest service shared on Facebook.
It's unclear what led to the aircraft going down.