How do you simulate and recover from engine failure in MSFS 2024?
Learn how to trigger an engine failure in MSFS 2024, fly the correct engine-out profile, attempt a restart and make a safe forced landing.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, practise an engine failure in Free Flight by arming the aircraft’s failure option or deliberately cutting its fuel supply. Recover by maintaining control, pitching for the published glide or engine-out speed, diagnosing only when altitude permits, restarting from the checklist, and landing if power does not return.
A successful recovery does not necessarily mean restarting the engine. Getting the aircraft onto a runway or suitable field without losing control is the primary objective.
How should you trigger an engine failure in MSFS 2024?
The safest method is a planned, repeatable shutdown at altitude in Free Flight, with good weather and a suitable landing area already selected.
| Method | Best used for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Native MSFS failure option | Testing recognition and checklist discipline | A hard failure may remain active and prevent any restart |
| Fuel or engine control cut-off | Repeatable shutdown and restart practice | It simulates loss of thrust, not every mechanical consequence |
| Aircraft-specific failure system | Complex add-ons with their own maintenance and damage modelling | It may conflict with failures enabled in the simulator |
- Choose Free Flight. Use daylight, light wind and an airport surrounded by forgiving terrain. Start several thousand feet above ground rather than attempting the first exercise after take-off.
- Select one failure method. If the aircraft exposes MSFS failure controls in its pre-flight or customisation interface, arm an engine failure there. Menu wording and availability vary by aircraft and platform.
- For a controlled shutdown, remove fuel. In a piston aircraft, use the mixture or fuel selector; in a turboprop, use the appropriate condition or fuel lever; in a jet, use its engine master or fuel control. Follow the aircraft’s procedure. Moving the throttle to idle is not an engine failure.
- Remove unwanted assistance. Disable AI piloting and automatic engine, fuel or checklist actions that could reverse your inputs. Turn off unlimited fuel when practising fuel exhaustion or tank-selection errors.
- Stabilise before triggering it. Trim the aircraft, note the wind and identify the nearest usable runway. Start with a predictable failure, then use timed or random failures once the recovery flow is familiar.
Do not enable both the simulator’s failure system and an add-on aircraft’s internal system unless its documentation specifically requires that combination. Otherwise, one system may keep the engine failed after the other appears to have repaired it.
What should you do when the engine fails?
Control the aircraft, establish the correct speed and select a landing area before spending time on the restart.
- Maintain control. Lower the nose as airspeed decays, correct any yaw and trim once the attitude is stable. Disconnect automation if it masks the problem or fights your inputs.
- Set the published speed. Use best glide speed for a single-engine aeroplane and the published engine-out or drift-down speed for a multi-engine aircraft. There is no safe universal number. Keep the gear, flaps and spoilers retracted until landing is assured.
- Choose where to land. Prefer a reachable runway over the nearest airport on the map. If workload permits, you can use the MSFS 2024 EFB to inspect nearby airports and runway information. After a low-altitude failure on take-off, lower the nose and land generally ahead unless you have already practised and confirmed that a turn-back is achievable.
- Check the likely causes. Confirm fuel quantity and tank selection, fuel shut-off position, mixture or condition lever, pumps, alternate air or carburettor heat where fitted, ignition and engine master controls. For a deliberately induced shutdown, reverse the exact action used to cause it.
- Attempt the checklist restart. A windmilling propeller may restart once fuel and ignition are restored; a stopped propeller may require the starter. Turbine relights must remain within the aircraft’s permitted airspeed and altitude envelope. Avoid repeated cranking that drains the battery.
- Commit to the landing. Stop troubleshooting at a predetermined height, secure the failed engine as its checklist directs and concentrate on the approach. Transmit Mayday and select transponder code 7700 if you are practising the full emergency workflow.
If power does not return, use the energy-management, flare and go-around principles in our forced-landing guidance for Microsoft Flight Simulator. A go-around may be impossible, so do not deploy drag or descend below a safe approach path too early.
How is engine-out recovery different in a twin?
In a twin-engine aircraft, preventing loss of directional control matters more than immediately securing the failed engine.
- Identify the failure from yaw, engine instruments and power indications. The “dead foot, dead engine” rule is a clue, not sufficient verification by itself.
- Verify before feathering. Reduce the suspected engine’s throttle enough to confirm that it is the failed side before moving any fuel, condition or propeller control to cut-off or feather.
- Protect airspeed. Remain above the published minimum control speed and target the aircraft’s engine-out climb speed where applicable. If speed is decaying, lower the nose and reduce power on the operating engine as needed to retain control.
- Reduce drag. Retract unnecessary drag devices and feather the failed propeller only if the aircraft supports feathering and its checklist calls for it. A windmilling propeller can create substantial drag.
- Use asymmetric power carefully. Apply available power on the operating engine only after directional control is assured, using rudder and the small bank towards the live engine specified by the aircraft’s procedure.
Many light twins cannot maintain altitude on one engine at high weight, high elevation or in hot conditions. Accept a controlled descent rather than sacrificing airspeed. In an airliner, follow its ECAM, EICAS or checklist sequence instead of applying a light-twin flow.
Why will the engine not restart?
A restart usually fails because the injected failure is still active, the original fuel or ignition condition has not been corrected, or the aircraft has its own independent damage system.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Starter turns but no power returns | The native hard failure remains armed | Disarm or repair the failure, or reset the flight after completing the landing |
| Engine briefly fires and stops | Fuel selector, mixture, condition lever or pump is still incorrect | Recheck the full fuel path rather than repeating the starter |
| Turbine will not relight | Aircraft is outside its relight envelope or the required ignition mode is not selected | Use the aircraft’s checklist and establish the specified speed first |
| Failure returns after being cleared | Two failure systems, an assistance option or a duplicated control binding is active | Use one failure system and inspect assistance and controller assignments |
| Shutdown was not intentionally triggered | Fuel, ignition, mixture, condition-lever or binding problem | Follow our engine shutdown and start troubleshooting checks |
Do not attempt to restart an engine representing a fire, seizure or critical oil-pressure failure unless that aircraft’s emergency checklist explicitly calls for it. Secure it and land instead.