After flying for 62 hours and 17 minutes, the ANT-25 landed in a farmer’s field near San Jacinto California, establishing a new world nonstop distance record of 6305 miles. The crew consisted of Mikhail Gromov, Andrei Yumoshev, and Sergei Danlin. The ANT-25 had begun its flight from Moscow’s Shelkovo Airport that had the first paved runway in Russia. Worried that the runways at March Field were too short, the crew decided to land in a large farm field. At 8000lb lighter than its departure weight and without drag breaks or wheel breaks, the long winged ANT-25 required a greater distance for safe landing.
This aircraft, the third ANT-25, was designed by a team lead by P.O. Sukhoi. It had a wingspan of 111 feet, length of 37 feet, and was powered by a 950hp M-34R V12 engine. It was the first Russian aircraft to use the wing structure as a fuel tank (wet wing). This history-making monoplane was disassembled in this field and shipped back to Russia on July 23, 1937.
Photo dated Aug 9, 1937
California Historical Landmarks number 989
