NMAC BTWN COMMANDER 500 AND MAULE IN TFC PATTERN AT STP.

Narrative

THE EVENT STARTED WITH MSP APCH CTL APPROX 15 NM S OF STP. WE WERE BEING VECTORED AROUND FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 14 AT STP. APCH CTL CALLED THE MAULE TFC AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS AND SEVERAL MI IN FRONT OF US INBOUND FROM THE SE FOR RWY 14 AT STP. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS; WE ACQUIRED THE TFC AND WERE TOLD BY MSP APCH CTL THAT THE MAULE WOULD BE ENTERING A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 14 AND THAT WE WOULD ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 14. THE MAULE WAS HANDED OFF TO STP TWR WHILE WE REMAINED WITH APCH. WE STILL HAD THE MAULE TFC IN SIGHT AND IT APPEARED THAT HE WAS HDG FOR A R DOWNWIND. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 14 VIA A L DOWNWIND AND CONTACTED STP TWR AND WERE ADVISED BY STP TWR THAT THE MAULE WAS AT APPROX OUR 2 O'CLOCK POS. WE WERE NOT TOLD THAT THE MAULE WAS CHANGING TO A L DOWNWIND. WE STILL HAD THE MAULE INSIGHT; AND IT APPEARED THAT HE WAS HDG FOR THE NUMBERS OF RWY 32 FOR A R DOWNWIND. THE TWR THEN ADVISED US THAT WE WERE TO FOLLOW CESSNA TFC 7 NM TO THE E. WE WERE 6 NM SE AT THIS TIME AND XFERRED OUR ATTN TO THE CESSNA TFC TO THE E OF THE ARPT; STILL ASSUMING THAT THE MAULE WAS INBOUND FOR A R DOWNWIND. WE BEGAN TO SLOW UP EVEN MORE IN ANTICIPATION OF FOLLOWING THE CESSNA ACFT. WE WERE THEN ADVISED THAT WE WERE #2 FOR LNDG TO FOLLOW TWIN CESSNA TFC ON A L DOWNWIND TURNING A L BASE FOR RWY 14. WE ACQUIRED THE TWIN CESSNA AND WERE TOLD TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR LNDG RWY 14. WHILE DSNDING INTO THE L DOWNWIND; WE NOTICED THE MAULE DIRECTLY OFF OUR L WING AND SLIGHTLY LOWER; AT A CLOSE DISTANCE. WE WERE OVERTAKING THE TFC AT A FAIRLY HIGH RATE AND WERE XING IN FRONT OF HIM FROM HIS R TO L. TWR CALLED THE MAULE TFC FOR US AT THIS TIME; BUT DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION AND OTHER ACFT BEING STEPPED ON; WE DID NOT CALL THE TFC IN SIGHT UNTIL AFTER WE HAD PASSED HIM. WE WERE SURPRISED TO SEE HIM ON A WIDE L DOWNWIND; WHEN WE WERE EARLIER TOLD HE WOULD BE ON A R DOWNWIND; AND WHEN HIS FLT PATH INDICATED THAT HE WAS POSITIONING HIMSELF FOR A R DOWNWIND. WHEN WE SAW THE MAULE ON A L DOWNWIND; DUE TO OUR FASTER AIRSPD; I COULD TELL THAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO HIT HIM. I DID; HOWEVER; SHALLOW OUR DSCNT IN ORDER TO STAY ABOVE HIS ALT UNTIL PAST HIM TO AVOID ANY MANEUVER HE MIGHT MAKE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW CLOSE WE WERE WHEN WE DSNDED THROUGH HIS FLT PATH; BECAUSE HE WAS BEHIND US AND WE NO LONGER HAD VISUAL CONTACT. WE CONTINUED INBOUND AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ONCE ON THE GND AT STP; I CALLED THE TWR IN ORDER TO SEE WHY THERE WAS THE CONFUSION. I WAS NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME THAT THE MAULE PLT WAS FILING A NEAR MIDAIR RPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 438612: WHILE FLYING INBOUND TO STP FROM THE S; I WAS RECEIVING TA'S FROM MSP APCH CTL. MSP ADVISED ME THAT WE HAD TWIN COMMANDER TFC AND ASKED IF I HAD IT IN SIGHT. I RESPONDED WITH 'NEGATIVE.' MSP ALSO ADVISED THE TWIN COMMANDER OF OUR POS AND ASKED; 'DO YOU HAVE THE MAULE TFC IN SIGHT?' THE COMMANDER SAID THAT HE HAD US IN SIGHT. MSP APCH THEN ADVISED ME TO FLY R TFC FOR RWY 14 AND THEN HANDED ME OFF TO STP TWR. AT THIS POINT; I WAS AT PATTERN ALT AND ABOUT 6-10 NM FROM THE ARPT. AFTER CHKING IN WITH STP TWR; I WAS INSTRUCTED TO FLY L TFC FOR RWY 14. BY THE TIME THE TWIN COMMANDER WAS SWITCHED TO STP TWR; I WAS ESTABLISHED ON A L DOWNWIND IN A NORMAL LNDG PATTERN FOR RWY 14. STP TWR ADVISED THE COMMANDER OF OUR POS AND ASKED; 'DO YOU HAVE THE MAULE IN SIGHT?' HE SAID THAT HE HAD US IN SIGHT. TWR THEN ADVISED THE COMMANDER THAT 'HE WOULD PASS THE MAULE AND IS CLRED TO LAND.' WITH A MOMENT; HE SUDDENLY APPEARED DSNDING OVER MY R WING AND OVERTAKING US LESS THAN 1 WING SPAN AWAY (NO MORE THAN 50 FT). THE TWIN COMMANDER EITHER HAD US IN SIGHT AND CUT DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO OUR ACFT OR HE MISIDENTED WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS OUR ACFT.