Learn how crash physics, collision damage and visual effects work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, including settings and limits.
Microsoft Flight Simulator detects collisions, excessive airframe stress and some engine abuse, and it can end the flight when damage options are enabled. It does not simulate a detailed wreck with realistic deformation, debris, fireballs or terrain damage. Visual crash effects are limited in both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024.
What happens when you crash in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
An impact normally produces a brief physical reaction before the simulator's damage logic decides whether the flight can continue. A sufficiently serious collision may display a critical-damage message and end or restart the flight, depending on the mode and assistance settings.
The aircraft does not usually crumple into a realistically deformed wreck. There is no persistent debris field, damaged scenery or detailed post-impact sequence. Collision handling is closer to a pass-or-fail event than a complete structural crash simulation.
Collision meshes also vary between scenery objects. Buildings, terrain, airport equipment and other objects may have simplified or oversized collision areas, while some decorative objects have little or no useful collision response.
Which types of aircraft damage does MSFS model?
Microsoft Flight Simulator models several causes of failure, but their depth depends heavily on the aircraft.
| Damage type | What MSFS can detect | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Collision damage | Contact with terrain or a collision-enabled object may end the flight. | Hitboxes can be approximate, with no persistent wreckage. |
| Aircraft stress | Excessive speed, aerodynamic loading or G-force can trigger structural failure. | Failure is not normally accompanied by realistic bending or deformation. |
| Engine stress | Engine abuse can cause a failure when the relevant option and aircraft support it. | The systems depth varies substantially between aircraft. |
| Landing damage | A hard touchdown, gear strike, tail strike or propeller strike may register as damage. | Results depend on contact geometry and the aircraft's implementation. |
| Visual effects | Some aircraft or failures may produce smoke or other limited effects. | There is no universal system for detailed fire, break-up or crash deformation. |
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 includes changes to physics and aircraft systems, but it should not be mistaken for a detailed crash simulator. Its crash aftermath remains limited, as it was in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. More advanced aircraft may model individual system failures, wear or engine misuse beyond the core simulator's handling.
Why can MSFS report a crash when the impact looked harmless?
Unexpected crash messages are usually caused by collision geometry, an aircraft strike the pilot did not see, or enabled stress limits.
- A parking position may place the aircraft against equipment, a building or uneven terrain.
- Conflicting airport scenery can create duplicated objects or abnormal ground levels.
- An invisible or oversized collision box may extend beyond the object shown on screen.
- A wingtip, tail, float or propeller can touch the ground even when the main landing gear appears safe.
- Overspeed or excessive G can trigger Aircraft Stress Damage without any terrain impact.
A mistake we see constantly is treating every critical-damage screen as proof of a bad landing. Reproduce the event with a default aircraft and default scenery first; if it disappears, the aircraft or scenery add-on is the likely cause.
Can you turn crash damage off?
Yes. The assistance options include settings such as Crash Damage, Aircraft Stress Damage and Engine Stress Damage, although their menu placement differs between simulator versions and platforms.
Disabling them can stop many collisions or limit exceedances from ending the session, but it does not improve scenery hitboxes or add visual damage. Our guide to switching off MSFS crash and stress detection explains what each setting changes.
Can add-ons provide more realistic damage?
Aircraft add-ons can provide deeper failure logic, including component faults, engine wear, maintenance states and consequences for poor handling. They remain constrained by the simulator's graphical crash system, so detailed systems damage does not necessarily produce visible structural deformation or wreckage.
Is an aircraft crash the same as MSFS crashing to desktop?
No. An aircraft collision or overstress event is handled inside the simulation; a freeze, unexpected closure or return to the console dashboard is a software crash. If the application itself stops running, use our diagnosis steps for MSFS 2020 and 2024 crashes to desktop rather than changing aircraft damage settings.