Learn how to make an emergency landing in MSFS 2024, from best glide and site choice to checklists, ATC, configuration and touchdown.
To make an emergency landing in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, keep control, set the correct glide or safe speed, choose a reachable landing site, run the aircraft’s emergency checklist, tell ATC, and delay flaps and landing gear until landing is assured. Touch down under control; saving the aircraft comes second.
What should I do first in an emergency?
Fly the aircraft before troubleshooting the failure or opening menus. A mistake we see constantly is trying to restart an engine while airspeed decays, leaving neither enough height nor enough control for the landing.
- Maintain control: correct any roll or yaw, lower the nose if speed is falling, and trim the aircraft. After total power loss, establish the published best-glide speed; there is no single correct speed for every aircraft.
- Select a landing site: turn towards a suitable runway or open area that is comfortably within range. Do not stretch the glide by raising the nose below best-glide speed.
- Complete the memory actions: use only the actions specified for that aircraft, then consult its emergency checklist if height permits. Our explanation of using aircraft-specific simulator checklists without neglecting control covers the correct order of work.
- Diagnose only when time permits: check fuel selection, mixture, ignition, pumps and engine controls as directed by the checklist. Randomly cycling switches can make a recoverable problem worse.
- Declare the emergency: use the available ATC emergency option and set transponder code
7700if the aircraft and ATC mode support it. Built-in ATC behaviour varies, so do not let radio work distract from flying. - Plan the approach: account for wind, terrain and obstacles. Keep landing gear and large flap settings retracted until you know the selected site is reachable.
- Commit and touch down: maintain the aircraft’s specified approach speed, use remaining flap as appropriate, flare without ballooning, and brake while retaining directional control. For the final approach fundamentals, see our stable approach, flare and braking guidance.
If the engine is on fire, do not treat it as an ordinary restart exercise. Follow the shutdown and extinguishing actions for that aircraft, then land as soon as possible; our engine-fire procedure for Microsoft Flight Simulator explains the different priorities.
How do I choose where to land?
Choose the closest site you can reach with a margin, not the ideal runway sitting at the edge of the aircraft’s theoretical glide range. Wind, turns, drag and imperfect speed control all reduce the distance available.
- Airport runway: usually the first choice when clearly within range. Prefer adequate length and a headwind, but avoid steep turns merely to line up perfectly.
- Open field: look for a large, level area with a clear approach. Land into wind or uphill where practical, and align with visible crop rows rather than crossing them.
- Road: use only when better options do not exist. Traffic, lamps, gantries, bridges and power lines make roads less suitable than they first appear.
- Water: consider ditching when it is safer than steep or built-up terrain, using the aircraft’s own checklist for gear, flap and door configuration.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 scenery adds another complication: ground that appears smooth may contain bumps, vegetation or collision objects. A slightly shorter glide to a broad, clearly rendered area is often safer than aiming for a narrow photogrammetry surface.
When should I lower flaps and landing gear?
Lower drag-producing equipment only after the landing area is assured, unless the aircraft checklist says otherwise. Extending retractable gear or full flap too early can turn a reachable runway into an undershoot.
| Emergency | Immediate priority | Approach implication |
|---|---|---|
| Total power loss | Hold best-glide speed | Delay extra drag and plan without a go-around |
| Partial power | Maintain a safe speed and avoid unnecessary power changes | Use the nearest suitable runway and assume the remaining power may fail |
| Engine fire | Shut down and extinguish according to the checklist | Land as soon as possible; do not attempt a restart |
| Gear malfunction | Keep flying while completing the gear checklist | Use confirmed indications and the aircraft-specific abnormal-landing procedure |
| Electrical or instrument failure | Preserve essential systems and visual references | Avoid configuration changes that depend on failed equipment |
For a normal runway, gear down is usually appropriate once reaching it is certain. For ditching, rough ground or a suspected gear failure, follow the simulated aircraft’s checklist rather than relying on a universal gear-up or gear-down rule.
Can I go around during an emergency landing?
Go around only when dependable power and sufficient climb performance remain. A total engine failure removes that option, while a partial-power aircraft may not climb after flap or gear changes.
If power is unavailable, accept an imperfect alignment or firm touchdown rather than stalling while trying to reach the runway centreline. In a twin with one failed engine, maintain directional control and the published single-engine speeds; an attempted low-speed go-around can be worse than continuing the landing.
How should I practise emergency landings in MSFS 2024?
Begin in daylight and clear weather, high enough to complete the drill, near a long runway and in a familiar piston trainer. First use idle power to learn glide geometry, then introduce genuine engine, fuel, electrical, instrument or gear failures through the simulator’s failure controls.
Our guide to setting up and understanding MSFS 2024 system malfunctions explains which failures produce useful practice scenarios. Repeat the exercise with different winds and starting positions, judging the result by airspeed control, site selection and touchdown point rather than the simulator’s cosmetic damage.
MSFS 2024 is not an authoritative source for real-aircraft emergency procedures. For actual flying, the approved aircraft flight manual, pilot’s operating handbook and qualified instruction always take precedence.