KUBINKA (Moscow region), August 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Air Force Commander paid tribute on Wednesday to the pilot killed in a collision between two Su-27 fighters at rehearsals for the MAKS-2009 airshow just outside Moscow.

Col. Igor Tkachenko, 45, was the commander of the famed Russian aerobatic team, Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights).

Alexander Zelin laid flowers at Tkachenko's coffin and expressed condolences to his family and friends.

The Air Force said earlier on Wednesday that the two planes involved in the accident were in good working order.

According to a preliminary investigation, the accident was most likely caused by pilot error.

The Russian Knights team was formed in April 1991 and is manned by elite pilots from the Kubinka airbase near Moscow.

The group made its foreign debut in September 1991, in Britain. Since then the Russian Knights have become a regular feature at major air shows all over the world.