What happened
During the landing phase at a privately owned airstrip, a Douglas DC-3 was performing an approach when the flight crew encountered a slight downdraft while passing over the approach end of the runway. Prior to this, during a prelanding inspection of the airstrip, both pilots had observed a large tractor parked alongside the approach end and had planned their approach to avoid it.
As the aircraft descended just before touchdown, the left wing struck a 25-foot high iron mast that was attached to the parked tractor. The impact resulted in the loss of approximately 14 feet of the airplane's outboard left wing. Despite the structural damage caused by the collision, the crew was able to complete the landing safely. Both crew members reported that they were unaware the 25-foot high mast was attached to the tractor.