SMT X HAD LTSS WITH MTR ON GCA APCH. SYS ERROR.

Narrative

SMT X WAS HANDED OFF TO GCA. WE WERE ASKED TO REDUCE OUR SPD 10 KIAS; WHICH WE DID. WX ON THE ATIS WAS 1000 VCST; VISIBILITY 4 MI IN FOG. WE BROKE OUT AT 700 FT AND ABOUT 2 MI DME. AT THIS POINT I SAW AND CALLED THE RWY IN SIGHT. I THEN NOTICED AN ACFT IN FRONT AND BELOW US ABOUT MIDWAY DOWN THE APCH LIGHT SYS ON VERY SHORT FINAL TO OUR RWY. I ADVISED THE PF OF THE ACFT AND TOLD HIM TO GAR AS WE WERE ONLY SEPARATED BY ABOUT 1/4 MI BEHIND AND ABOUT 300 FT ABOVE THIS ACFT. AFTER 3-4 CALLS; THE TWR ANSWERED. I ADVISED THE CTLR OF THE SIT AND OUR POS; WHICH WAS BY THIS TIME DOWNWIND. TWR RESPONDED THAT THE FIELD HAD JUST GONE IFR AND REQUESTED OUR INTENTIONS. I ADVISED THAT WE WERE ON DOWNWIND WITH THE RWY IN SIGHT AND WOULD LIKE TO LAND. TWR THEN ISSUED A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC AND CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 29. CAPT SPOKE WITH THE TWR SUPVR WHO STATED THAT WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS THAT THE MTR HAD BROKEN OUT LOWER THAN EXPECTED AND HAD GONE AROUND. HE STATED THAT BOTH THIS ACFT AND OURS WERE BEING OBSERVED BY RADAR IN THE TWR AND THAT THE TWR'S ONLY MISTAKE WAS THAT THEY FAILED TO ADVISE US OF THE TFC. HE STATED THEY HAD ADVISED THE MTR OF OUR ACFT BEING AT THEIR 6 O'CLOCK POS. HE HAD DECLARED THE FIELD IFR AFTER THE MTR HAD GONE AROUND. THE PIC ACCEPTED THIS EXPLANATION AND ALSO ADVISED THE TWR SUPVR HE FELT THE FIELD WAS IFR DURING BOTH ACFT'S APCHS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS RPTED VFR. THE CALL WAS THEN TERMINATED. I DISCUSSED WITH THE PIC THE FACT THAT REGARDLESS OF THE WX CONDITIONS; PROPER SEPARATION BTWN THE 2 ACFT HAD NOT BEEN MAINTAINED. HE STATED HE WAS HAPPY WITH THE TWR'S EXPLANATION AND DID NOT INTEND TO PURSUE IT ANY FURTHER.