748 look alike.

[finncapt]

Between about 1400 and 1500 local time (1200/1300Z) today an HS748 look alike aircraft flew over on the approach to 22L at Helsinki Vantaa (EFHV).

It was gear down which made me look up from my leaf sweeping (normally aircraft are clean when they go over).

I suppose it could have been a Saab 340 or variant but I haven't seen one for a while.

Can someone, who has paid access to fr24 or similar, tell me what it was please.

Thanks in advance.

[DaveReidUK]

The only turboprops I could see on FR24 during that hour were a couple of An-26s and a handful of ATRs, so maybe something that doesn't plot ?

[finncapt]

Thanks for that, it was low wing and not Q400.

We get many ATRs (finnair operate them) and a few AN26s (one regular one that has very unsynched props) and it wasn't those.

What piqued my interest was that, initially, I thought it was a 748 (having many hours on type) but I don't think it was dart driven.

Discarded a Gulfstream 1 for same reason.

Are then any 748s or G1s still flying in europe?

All I could think of was a Saab, it looked to big for a Jetstream.

[India Four Two]

YS-11A possibly? There is one still active on the Philippine register as of June.

[treadigraph]

BAe ATP? West Air Sweden operate quite a few.

[finncapt]

Wondered about a YS11 - only seen one once in the Caribbean - are any active in Europe.

I thought West air had got rid of their ATPs and didn't think it was one, assume they would sound like an ATR.

I didn't have a watch on but can we widen the time to 1330 and 1530 local, it gets dark shortly after that and I had returned home at 1330, having walked to collect my car from town(several glasses of wine last night!!).

[BRUpax]

I had a look on FR24 and the only more unusual prop aircraft that came in was the Antonov 26. I know it's high wing but, depending on the angle, distance, light and a little artistic licence, its engines could look a little 748ish.

[eckhard]

Ilyushin IL-114?

[noengines]

Google westatlantic.eu - as treadigraph mentioned.

[finncapt]

I have come to the conclusion that it was an AN-26, the wing planform seems about right andI could easily have been mistaken about the low wing as it flew directly overhead.

This thread has increased my knowledge.

I had never heard of the IL-114 but took the opportunity to google it and look at the West Atlantic pages.

Thankyou to all who replied.

[treadigraph]

AN-26s are pretty noisy, least they are when they pass over here at 24000'!

[BRUpax]

Google westatlantic.eu - as treadigraph mentioned.

West Atlantic aircraft show up on FR24. It wasn't one of theirs. The An-26 fits in with the original time frame given and was most certainly what finncapt saw, as he has confirmed.

Ilyushin IL-114?

Of the six that were delivered before production was suspended, not one was airborne in Europe or Asia during that time frame.

[DaveReidUK]

Well that was hard work.