The Civil Aviation Authority says human factors are likely to have contributed to an accident that led to the death of a pilot two years ago

Palmerston North man Ronald Sanders died in hospital after the tow plane he was controlling crashed into a tree at the Feilding Aerodrome in May 2022.

The 74-year-old had been towing a glider when it became out of position - causing the rope to become slack and losing control.

The safety investigation found the rope was shorter than minimum length, causing a negative domino effect.

It also found human factors contributed -- such as the ability to process information, communicate and adapt to situations.