2 ACR LGTS FOULED UP THEIR TFC PATTERNS; AND THE OTHER ACFT'S PATTERNS AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrative

ON VISUAL RWY 23L AT MSP; AT 200 FT AGL; THE GPWS 'TERRAIN' WARNING SOUNDED. CAPT INITIATED GAR. MSP TWR VECTORED US FOR ILS 23L. AFTER RUNNING ALL NORMAL AND ABNORMAL CHKLISTS; WE WERE SATISFIED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN PROPERLY CONFIGURED. DURING THE RUNNING OF THE CHKLISTS; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE CAPT WAS DISTRACTED IN HIS FLYING DUTIES BY THE ABNORMAL. I NOTICED THAT THE CAPT MIGHT OVERSHOOT THE LOC AS I HAD A VISUAL ON RWY 23L. BY THE TIME THE CAPT REACTED TO THIS INFO; WE HAD ENCROACHED ON THE LOC FOR RWY 23R. ACR Y; WHO WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE RWY 23R LOC; HAD TO GAR. BY NOW; THE GPWS TERRAIN WARNING WAS AGAIN SOUNDING; BUT A NORMAL LNDG ON 23L WAS EXECUTED. NUMEROUS CHKLIST AND AURAL WARNING DISTRS ALLOWED US TO BE DISTRACTED FROM THE PRIMARY TASK OF FLYING THE AIRPLANE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 262944: WE WERE KEPT HIGH UNTIL WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO THE ARPT; 6000 FT AT 10 MI. WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA; WE WERE NOT READY. WE WERE STILL CLEAN; 250 KTS. AS WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 29R; WE REALIZED THAT S-TURNS ON FINAL WOULD BE NECESSARY. WE ASKED FOR A 360 DEG TURN TO THE L. WHAT WE DID NOT KNOW WAS THAT THERE WAS ACR X ON THE APCH TO 29L; WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY MISSED DUE TO A GPWS PROB; AND WHICH WAS NOT RESPONDING TO APCH CTL VERY WELL. WE WERE IN CONFLICT WITH THIS ACFT AND WERE ISSUED INSTRUCTIONS TO TURN R AND CLB. WE CAME BACK AROUND AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. THIS SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPED IF WE HAD PAID MORE ATTN TO OUR SIT -- MORE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.