Why won’t engines start or stay running on take-off in MSFS?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), an engine that will not start or quits as take-off power is applied is usually missing fuel, ignition, start air, electrical power or the correct control position. Check the symptom first, then verify the aircraft’s start sequence and remove duplicate controller bindings before treating it as a simulator fault.

Match the symptom before changing switches

The way the engine fails points to the system that should be checked first.

What should I check first in MSFS?

Work through fuel, engine controls, ignition and starting power in that order, using the checklist for the specific aircraft rather than a generic sequence.

1. Confirm usable fuel in the cockpit. Do not rely only on the flight-planning screen. Read the aircraft’s fuel gauges, check that the selected tank contains fuel and make sure the selector, shut-off valves and required pumps provide a valid feed to the engine.
2. Set the correct fuel control. A piston aircraft normally needs its mixture out of idle cut-off and a small amount of throttle. A turboprop needs the condition or fuel lever in the specified start position. A jet may use an engine master, fuel control switch or idle detent instead.
3. Verify ignition. In a piston aircraft, select the required magneto or ignition position and hold the starter as directed. Turbine ignition may be controlled automatically by the start selector, but the relevant start or ignition mode must still be selected.
4. Provide enough starting power. Piston aircraft need a functioning electrical starter system. Many turbine aircraft need pneumatic air from an APU, ground source or another engine, although some designs use electric starters. Electrical power and illuminated displays do not necessarily mean that pneumatic start air is available.
5. Follow the aircraft’s start sequence. Turbine engines must reach the required rotation before fuel is introduced. If the model indicates a hot or hung start, return the fuel control to cut-off and reset the start rather than continuing to add fuel. For default aircraft, our cold-and-dark startup checks for MSFS 2020 provide a useful procedural baseline.
6. Temporarily disable automated engine assistance. Mixing manual switch operation with AI or checklist assistance can make a control move after you have set it. Either perform the complete start manually or let the simulator handle the whole sequence for the test.
7. Try the built-in automatic start. If it starts a default aircraft but your manual attempt does not, a switch or procedural step has been missed. Some complex add-ons use custom systems and may not support the generic automatic-start command fully.
8. Compare a parking start with a runway start. If the engine runs from a ready-for-take-off runway spawn but not from a parking stand, the engine model probably works and the fault lies in the cold-and-dark state or startup procedure.

The control menus and assistance labels differ between Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but the diagnostic order is the same. A mistake we see repeatedly at Fly Away Simulation is assuming that active cockpit screens mean the fuel and engine systems are ready; the engine can still be firmly in cut-off.

Why does an engine quit as take-off power is applied?

A shutdown at the moment the throttle moves usually indicates an incorrect fuel-control position or a hardware input that is sending the engine back towards cut-off.

Piston aircraft

Check the mixture, fuel selector, magnetos and any boost-pump requirement. Full-rich mixture is common for take-off near sea level, but high-elevation departures may require leaning for best power according to the aircraft checklist. Blindly selecting full rich at every aerodrome can produce poor power in models that simulate mixture accurately.

Carburettor heat is normally set for take-off as specified by the aircraft, usually cold, and an unlocked primer can cause rough running in models that simulate it. If the engine only idles with the throttle partly open, also check the idle setting and whether another device is closing the throttle.

Turboprops and jets

Check that condition levers, fuel controls or engine masters are fully in their run positions and that the relevant pumps and feed valves are configured for departure. Once a turbine is stable at idle, losing APU bleed should not normally make it quit; a shutdown caused by advancing the thrust lever points more strongly to fuel control, a controller mapping or an enabled failure.

First verify that the engine has actually stopped. Falling RPM, propeller speed, N1 or N2 confirms a shutdown. If those indications remain normal but the aircraft will not accelerate or lift off, use our separate checks for brakes, trim, flaps, weight and rotation problems.

How do I prove it is a controller binding?

A cockpit lever that jumps back after being moved with the mouse is the clearest sign that another controller is overriding it.

MSFS accepts simultaneous commands from yokes, throttle quadrants, gamepads, keyboards and other connected devices. A forgotten mixture axis or physical engine switch can remain active even when that device is not being used to fly.

Inspect assignments for:

• Throttle axes, including individual left and right engine throttles
• Mixture axes and mixture increase or decrease commands
• Propeller and condition levers
• Engine masters, fuel controls and fuel shut-off switches
• Magnetos, ignition and starter commands
• AI or assistance controls that can manage the engine

Move each physical lever slowly while watching the cockpit. The mixture, condition lever or fuel control must not move when only the throttle is being advanced. Also watch for a switch that resends its physical off position after the cockpit control has been set with the mouse.

For a decisive test, create a clean controller profile with only the essential flight and throttle controls assigned, or temporarily disconnect spare controllers. Add a dead zone to a noisy axis only after confirming which input is moving. If the engine then remains running, the original profile contains the fault.

What changes when the aircraft is a twin-engine jet?

A twin-engine jet has separate fuel and control paths for each engine but may share electrical or pneumatic starting sources, so the failure pattern matters.

• Neither engine spools: check the common electrical supply, start selector and pneumatic or electric start source.
• One engine starts but the other does not: inspect that engine’s master or fuel control, pumps, valves and individual controller assignments. Also confirm that the shared start source was not switched off after the first start.
• The first engine runs but the second will not spool: check APU bleed, isolation and pack configuration where the aircraft requires them. APU electrical generation and APU bleed air are separate functions on aircraft that use pneumatic starters.
• Both engines quit as the thrust levers move: suspect a common throttle-quadrant binding, automated assistance or a shared fuel configuration before assuming two simultaneous engine failures.
• Only one engine quits during the take-off roll: check engine-specific axes and switches, the relevant tank feed and any simulated maintenance or failure state.

Do not open crossfeed as a universal fix; normal crossfeed and pump configurations vary by aircraft. Detailed airliners often use custom system logic and saved panel states, so generic shortcuts may not place every switch correctly. FlyByWire users should first verify the aircraft’s intended state using our guidance on setting the A32NX to cold-and-dark or turnaround mode.

Proving whether the aircraft or MSFS is at fault

A fault affecting one add-on aircraft is usually tied to that aircraft’s procedure, saved state, controller calibration or failure model; a fault affecting several default aircraft points to a global setting or binding.

For an affected add-on, load a fresh flight, reset its panel or maintenance state if that option exists, disable simulated failures and check any aircraft-specific throttle calibration. If the problem began with a saved flight, do not use that save as the test case. Reproduce the start from a clean parking position before changing or reinstalling the simulator.