Ilyushin II-76 at Dulles?

Driving north towards Dulles airport (IAD) around 2:00 PM on Friday, April 3, 2015, I saw from a distance what looked like maybe a Ilyushin II-76 coming in for a landing from the north. I wasn’t close enough to see any markings on the plane, nor am I sure that’s what it was… but it was very distinctive looking with the wings spread across the top of the fuselage and two jet engines on each wing. I can’t find any record of such a plane arriving at Dulles on the FlightAware website. Anyone know who/what it was?

You probably saw an Antanov 124.
On another note, I find it curious that the Antanov 225 flys to the U.S. frequently. I follow on FA and it looks like they land at various military bases around the country. I guess we tax payers are paying the Ukranians and Russians to haul our cargo.
I got up close and personal to one landing at IAH last year. That is one very large plane. When on the ground it had a number of semi tractor trailers by it and they looked like toys.

Started another topic then saw this one. I was outside earlier and heard a plane overhead. When I looked up I saw this…

flightaware.com/live/flight/VDA7 … /KHMN/KATL

Very neat!

We had a Volga-dnepr IL-76 visit Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Friday on it’s way over to Bulgaria. The flight history doesn’t help but I’m willing to bet it’s the one in question:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VDA6150/history/20150417/2100Z/KPSM/LBBG

Volga-Dnepr does lots of stuff for lots of companies around the world, including NATO and the US military. You need to move something big? They have the only planes that can handle it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga-Dnepr_Airlines

They come to Long Beach about once a year, moving satellites made in El Segundo, etc. Years ago they took some big ISS parts out.

Notable missions

According to Moscow Defense Brief, the company has over the past 18 years transported gigantic excavators and yachts, missile launchers, airplanes and helicopters, elephants and whales, entire mini-factories and power plants, the latest release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine, and unique museum collections. Deliveries of equipment for the heavy machine building, oil and gas and aerospace sectors are most in demand.[1] In 2008, Volga-Dnepr delivered Japanese International Space Station components from Japan to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.[20]

Yep, their An-124s are regular fuel-stoppers here at Pease, but I have to say this was the first IL-76 that I’ve ever seen anywhere. I bet it’s the same one the OP may have seen in DC.