"What happens when you just clip the tip of your wing on a tree? BOOM, dead. How about just a missing wingtip? Or landing gear catching the top of the tree, should be just landing gear damage, not the whole plane blown up."
Actually Rip, this already happens. I have a few examples..
1. Last night got to low with a C47 and clipped a tree and lost left wing tip. Held it for a little while then it rolled over and crashed.
2. Taking off in 234, got misaligned on takeoff and lifted off right over rearm pad, clipped the shack with landing gear. Lost right gear. Plane still flew, dropped bombs completed mission and then belly landed on return.
3. Landed C47 went to rearm pad, turned plane to line up for take off, clipped shack with right wing, busted, collapsed landing gear right side. Had to ditch.
4. Wounded 190D9, radiator, dead stick and wing tip. Tried to ditch. Landed in open field but not able to slow down fast enough and rolled right into trees, dead.
I think plane speed is a factor in ground collisions, in first 3 examples I was under 200mph, last one in 190 I was barely able to control the descent and landed pretty fast and was at or just about 200 when I hit trees.