How do I disable crash detection in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Disable crash detection in Microsoft Flight Simulator, stop crash screens, and fix flights that still end because of stress damage or activity rules.
To disable crash detection in Microsoft Flight Simulator, open Settings or Options, enter the Assistance settings, find Failure and Damage, and switch Crash Damage off. Apply the change before returning to the flight. Menu placement differs between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, but the setting serves the same purpose.
How to turn off crash damage in MSFS
- Open the settings: Pause your flight or return to the main menu, then open the simulator's Settings or Options screen.
- Enter Assistance settings: Look for the assistance, difficulty or realism controls. MSFS 2020 normally groups the relevant options under Failure and Damage; later interfaces may arrange the categories differently.
- Find Crash Damage: Use the settings search function where available if the option is not immediately visible.
- Switch it off: Disable Crash Damage or the equivalent crash-detection option.
- Apply the change: Save or apply the settings before resuming. A restart is not normally required.
The procedure is essentially the same with a controller on supported console versions. If an activity prevents changes while flying, leave the activity and alter the setting from the main settings screen.
What does turning crash damage off actually change?
Turning Crash Damage off stops the simulator's standard collision detection from immediately ending a flight with a crash message. It is useful for practising landings, exploring scenery, testing add-ons or recovering from an accidental collision without reloading.
It does not remove scenery collision geometry, guarantee that the aircraft can pass through every object or disable a third-party aircraft's own damage system. Those aircraft may have separate failure controls in an onboard tablet, EFB or configuration panel.
Should I disable aircraft stress damage as well?
Disable Aircraft Stress Damage as well if you want to prevent overspeed, excessive G-loading or abrupt control inputs from ending the flight.
| Setting | What it controls | When to turn it off |
|---|---|---|
| Crash Damage | Ground, building and object collisions | When you want to stop collision-triggered crash screens |
| Aircraft Stress Damage | Structural failure from excessive speed, G-force or loading | When the flight still ends after a hard manoeuvre or overspeed |
| Engine Stress Damage | Failures caused by engine misuse or excessive operating limits | When practising without engine-management penalties |
We recommend changing only Crash Damage first. Leave the stress options enabled if you still want consequences for mishandling the aeroplane; our explanation of how MSFS models real-world flying covers the wider realism trade-offs.
Why does Microsoft Flight Simulator still end my flight?
A flight can still end with crash detection disabled because collision damage is only one failure condition.
- Aircraft Stress Damage remains enabled: Overspeeding or exceeding structural limits can trigger a separate failure.
- The activity enforces its own rules: Career missions, challenges, tutorials and other structured activities may override global assistance settings or terminate after leaving the permitted area.
- The aircraft has a custom damage model: Complex add-ons can manage failures independently of the simulator's Crash Damage switch.
- An assistance preset replaced the change: Selecting another preset can turn damage options back on. Check the individual toggle after changing presets or profiles.
- The application itself closed: A freeze or return to the desktop is not simulated crash detection. Follow our MSFS crash-to-desktop troubleshooting steps for that problem.
Can career mode or multiplayer override crash detection?
Structured modes can enforce their own safety and failure rules, while Free Flight normally respects the assistance setting. In multiplayer, Crash Damage is generally a local assistance choice and does not change another pilot's settings, although an organised activity may require particular realism options.
If the toggle is unavailable, locked or ignored only during one mission, that mission's rules are the likely cause. Test the same aircraft and airport in Free Flight to separate an activity restriction from a global settings problem.