Crash at Startup when my HOTAS is Plugged In

I was getting force close crashes at startup. The game just closes right to thhe desktop right after the anti-cheat splash screen is complete and it tries to start the game to full screen. I tried everything I could find but nothing seemed to fix the issue. Then I unplugged my HOTAS and it started up instantly. Re-plugged the HOTAS and crashed like before. Tried it in another USB port, same crash issue.

I have an old HOTAS: A Thrustmaster Top Gun Afterburner FFB (Force Feedback). It is recognized in Windows with all buttons working, but it seems to cause this game to crash. Are there any solutions to get my HOTAS working with this game?