A large number of high-voltage power transmission towers have recently been constructed in mining areas prone to subsidence. In order to ensure the safety of the transmission towers and the safe operation of transmission systems, it is imperative to carry out research on the anti-deformation performance of transmission towers. In our study, we performed experiments on the anti-deformation performance of a transmission tower in a subsidence area on a scale model with a geometric scale ratio of 1:5 and analyzed the failure mechanism of the tower members. The results show that, when the axial distance between two supports changes, destabilization failure most likely occurs in the members of the bottom transverse layer because some parts of the main diagonal member bars yield under the action of compression. The failure mechanism of the tower members basically coincides with the lever principle. A large number of high-voltage power transmission towers have recently been constructed in mining areas prone to subsidence. In order to ensure the safety of the transmission towers and the safe operation of transmission systems, it is imperative to carry out research on the anti- deformation performance of transmission towers. In our study, we performed experiments on the anti-deformation performance of a transmission tower in a subsidence area on a scale model with a geometric scale ratio of 1: 5 and analyzed the failure mechanism of the tower members. The results show that, when the axial distance between two supports changes, destabilization failure most likely occurs in the members of the bottom transverse layer because some parts of the main diagonal member bars yield under the action of compression. The failure mechanism of the tower members basically coincides with the lever principle.