CORPORATE TWIN HAS NMAC WITH C172 AS HE WAS TURNING FINAL TO RWY 35R; LNK. C172 HAD THE TWIN IN SIGHT; SO HE SAID. PIC OF TWIN GRABS WHEEL AND EVADES C172 AT 200 FT SEPARATION. NO TFC SEPARATION TECHNIQUES PROVIDED BY TWR OTHER THAN TFC POINTOUT.

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WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 35R BY LNK APCH AND INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE TWR. WE CONTACTED THE TWR AND RPTED APCHING R BASE FOR RWY 35R. AT THAT TIME TWR RPTED OUR TFC AS 12 O'CLOCK; 7 MI. WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND SAID WE WOULD LOOK FOR TFC. TWR TOLD THE C172 PLT TO ENTER A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32. HE ACKNOWLEDGED. TWR RPTED TO THE C172 OUR POS AND THE C172 PLT ACKNOWLEDGED TFC IN SIGHT. WE STILL DID NOT HAVE THE TFC IN SIGHT. I WAS THE PNF AND I CONTINUED TO LOOK FOR THE TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK. WE WERE ON BASE LEG; WITH APCH FLAPS; GEAR DOWN AND LNDG AND TAXI LIGHTS ON. PRIOR TO TURNING FINAL WE HEARD THE TWR INSTRUCT THE C172 TO TURN TO 170 DEG HDG. MENTALLY I STILL HAD THE C172 W OF THE ARPT. WE WERE APCHING FROM THE E. ORIGINAL RPT WAS 7 MI FROM US AND THIS IS NOT MORE THAN A MIN LATER. AS WE ARE TURNING FINAL; I SEE THE C172 HDG DIRECTLY TOWARD US AND NOT MORE THAN 200 FT APART. I GRABBED THE CTL WHEEL AND INCREASED THE BANK TO MISS THE C172. THE ONLY COMMENT FROM THE C172 WAS 'THAT WAS CLOSE.' I TALKED TO THE TWR OPERATOR LATER BY TELEPHONE AND HE SAID THE C172 HAD TAKEN A NORTHERLY HDG WHEN HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO ENTER A DOWNWIND AND THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF IT. I FEEL THE TWR PERSONNEL WERE NOT ALERT AND DID NOT VISUALLY MONITOR OUR TRACK. THEY WERE VERY APOLOGETIC BUT LACKED A GOOD EXPLANATION. BIG LESSON FOR ME IS: DON'T ASSUME THE OTHER ACFT IS GOING TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION WHEN THEY SAY THEY HAVE YOU IN SIGHT. IF HE DID HAVE US IN SIGHT; WHY DID HE ALLOW HIS AIRPLANE TO GET THAT CLOSE TO US?