SMA X HAD CONFLICT WITH METROLINER ON FINAL APCH; SEE AND AVOID CONCEPT.

Narrative

SMA X VFR AT 3000 FT; TRACKING 255 DEGS TO THE BISMARCK; ND ARPT; RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH APCH CTL AT 36 NM FROM FIELD. MY PAX (ALSO A PLT) AND I RECOGNIZED THE VOICE AS THAT OF A CTLR WHO IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE HE DOESN'T SPEAK VERY LOUD. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY DIRECTED TO MAKE A R BASE ENTRY TO RWY 31 AND ADVISED THAT WE WOULD BE FOLLOWING TFC WHICH WAS AT OUR 7 O'CLOCK POS. NO CHANGE FROM OUR PRESENT GND TRACK WAS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. I THEN OBSERVED TFC HIGH AND BEHIND MY L WING LINE (TOWARDS THE SUN) AT AN UNKNOWN DISTANCE BUT WAS NOT CERTAIN THAT IT WAS THE RPTED TFC. LATER; I WAS ASKED IF I SAW THE TFC. I RPTED THIS TARGET WHICH WAS NOW SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF MY WING LINE AND NEARING MY ALT WHICH WAS NOW SLIGHTLY BELOW 3000 FT SINCE I HAD MADE A PWR REDUCTION AND BEGUN A DSCNT. WE WERE HANDED TO TWR AFTER PASSING INSIDE 10 NM FROM THE FIELD AND GIVEN THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS FOR LNDG. AT ABOUT 8 NM THE TARGET HAD SLOWED AND IT APPEARED THAT IF I FLEW A NORMAL PATTERN THAT I WOULD ARRIVE AHEAD OF THE TFC WHICH WAS ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 31. I THEN ACQUIRED THE FIELD AND WAS AGAIN ADVISED TO FOLLOW THE TFC. TO AVOID SHOCK COOLING OF THE ENG BY MAKING A LARGE PWR REDUCTION; I ELECTED TO TURN TOWARD THE TFC AND PASS BEHIND HIM TO GET SPACING. I ALSO CLBED SLIGHTLY TO SLOW TO GEAR AND FLAP EXTENSION SPDS. AT ABOUT 3-4 NM FROM THE FIELD; WE CROSSED BEHIND; ABOVE AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE FLT PATH OF WHAT I DETERMINED TO BE A METROLINER BUT WHOSE MARKINGS I COULD NOT DISTINGUISH. AFTER XING HIS FLT PATH; I BEGAN 'S' TURNING ON FINAL TO INCREASE SPACING BUT STILL HAD TO DO A 360 DEG TURN WHILE THE TFC CLRED THE RWY. LATER IN THE DAY; THE TWR SUPVR ADVISED ME THAT THE CAPT OF THE METROLINER WAS GOING TO FILE A COMPLAINT SINCE HE THOUGHT THAT I HAD FLOWN WITHIN 200 FT OF HIM. HOWEVER; HE ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN ON DUTY AT THE TIME AND WITNESSED THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AND SAW NO PROB. IT IS MY FEELING THAT THE APCH CTLR ERRED IN NOT HAVING THE METROLINER SLOW HIS APCH AND LAND SECOND SINCE I WAS LOWER AND CLOSER TO THE FIELD. NEITHER OF US WAS EVER ASSIGNED A HDG; SPD OR ALT FOR DECONFLICTION.