Guide
Why your landings are hard: top 5 causes
A hard touchdown almost always has a cause, and it usually sits well before the runway. Here are five common ones and how to find yours from the debrief data.
Cause 1. A late or abrupt flare
If pitch is added when the aircraft is already at the runway, the flare is short and abrupt. The touchdown ends up hard even if speed and glide path were fine.
Cause 2. The wrong approach speed
Excess speed stretches the hold-off and makes the aircraft reluctant to settle; too little risks an early touchdown. Landing speed must be stable well before the threshold.
Cause 3. An unstable approach
When the approach is not settled in altitude, speed and configuration, it can barely be fixed in the flare. An unstable approach is the most common root cause of hard touchdowns.
Cause 4. Floating high and losing the glide path
Flaring too high makes the aircraft float, bleed speed and then drop in. The glide path is lost too, especially in a crosswind.
Cause 5. Over-controlling in the hold-off (PIO)
Constant small inputs in the hold-off rock the aircraft: the pilot chases their own movements and the touchdown becomes uneven. In the hold-off calm matters more than activity.
Finding your own cause in the data
The debrief shows touchdown vertical speed, load factor, centreline and bounce. From them you can tell whether the cause was the flare, the speed or the approach. Fly the same approach repeatedly and compare the metrics — the cause shows up consistently.
FAQ
Why is a landing hard with a good glide path?
Most often because of a late or abrupt flare: the path was right but the work at the runway was not.
How does speed affect how hard the touchdown is?
Excess speed stretches the hold-off, too little causes an early touchdown; either can raise vertical speed.
What is PIO in the hold-off?
It is oscillation from constant small corrections, where the pilot chases the aircraft’s own movements.
How do I find my own cause?
Compare touchdown metrics across several similar approaches: a consistent deviation points to a specific phase.
Ready to debrief your landing?
Flare reads a completed MSFS 2024 flight and shows a 0–100 score with a touchdown breakdown.