NMAC.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING AN SMT. I AM ONE OF 5 SMTS AT ICT. THE OTHER SMTS WERE BOTH HDG E TO SE; ONE FOLLOWING THE OTHER. I WAS HDG S. ALL 3 SMTS WERE OPERATING IFR IN VFR CONDITIONS AND TALKING TO ICT TWR AT THE TIME. ICT APCH CALLED OUT AN SMT #2 AT 12 O'CLOCK FOR ME TO FOLLOW. I SPOTTED THE SMT AND FOLLOWED. I THOUGHT I HAD THE SECOND SMT IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES. BOTH SMTS IN FRONT OF ME WERE HDG E AND THEN TURNED L TO THE NW TO LAND ON RWY 32. AT SOME POINT; THE FIRST 2 SMTS MUST HAVE CROSSED PATHS (FROM MY PERSPECTIVE). DUE TO THEIR XING PATHS I LOST SIGHT OF SMT #2 (WHICH I WAS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW) AND STARTED FOLLOWING SMT #1 THINKING IT WAS THE SECOND SMT. I (AND ALL OTHER SMTS) WAS TRANSFERRED TO TWR AFTER BEING CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 32. I STARTED A SHALLOW L TURN WITH STEEP DSCNT AND CONTINUED TO FOLLOW SMT #1 (THINKING STILL IT WAS #2). AS I WAS PASSING THROUGH A HDG OF N I SAW THE SECOND SMT PASS SEVERAL HUNDRED FT DIRECTLY BELOW MY ACFT AND SLIGHTLY IN FRONT. NO 'EVASIVE' ACTION WAS REQUIRED; I STOPPED MY DSCNT AND TURN AND SLOWED DOWN TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE CLRNC. THE FIRST SMT (WHICH I THOUGHT WAS THE SECOND SMT) WAS STILL IN SIGHT AT THIS TIME ON SHORT FINAL. ON THE GND; I TALKED TO THE PLT OF THE SECOND SMT. HE SAID HE NEVER SAW ME. ICT TWR NEVER GAVE ANY WARNING AND I DOUBT THEY EVEN NOTICED. THE TWR HAD AN 'INEXPERIENCED/TRAINEE' CTLR IN THE TWR CTLING ALL SMTS. CTLR SOUNDED INEXPERIENCED; MADE SEVERAL OBVIOUS MISTAKES; SOME HE CORRECTED. AT OTHER TIMES; ANOTHER CTLR HAD TO BREAK IN TO MAKE IMMEDIATE CORRECTIONS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PREVENT ANOTHER OCCURRENCE. WITH SO MANY IDENTICAL ACFT IN THE AIR AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO PREVENT THIS HAPPENING AGAIN. THE TWR MAY HAVE SPOTTED THE CONFLICT IF THEY WERE NOT TRAINING AT THE TIME. I AM IN NO WAY BLAMING THE TWR.