A C152 PVT PLT TURNS AND CLBS OUT OF THE TFC PATTERN TO AVOID ANOTHER C152 WHO TURNED AN EARLY DOWNWIND. LOOKING AT THE WRONG TFC FOR SPACING AT OKM; OK.

Narrative

WHILE PRACTICING PWR OFF APCHS WITH NIFA AT OKMULGEE ARPT ON MAY/SUN/00; ANOTHER ACFT CAME WITHIN CLOSE PROX TO MINE RESULTING IN EVASIVE ACTION TO BE TAKEN. I WAS FLYING A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17 AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THERE WERE 5 TOTAL ACFT IN THE PATTERN AT THE TIME. JUST AFTER BECOMING ESTABLISHED ON DOWNWIND THE ACFT BEHIND ME TURNED FOR THE SAME LEG AFTER TURNING AN EARLY XWIND. THE REASON FOR THE INCIDENT WAS THE FACT THAT THE ACFT BEHIND ME LOST SIGHT OF TFC AND MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THE ACFT AHEAD OF ME WAS THE TFC TO FOLLOW. WHEN I SAW THE ACFT IT WAS APPROX 500 FT UNDER ME AND TO THE L. I IMMEDIATELY MADE A 60 DEG CLBING R TURN AWAY FROM THE OTHER ACFT. AFTER ESTABLISHING A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE OTHER TFC IN THE PATTERN I RETURNED TO THE PATTERN IN A 45 DEG ANGLE TO A L DOWNWIND AND LANDED. DURING THE INCIDENT ALL THE PLTS IN THE PATTERN WERE MAKING POS RPTS UPON TURNING A DIFFERENT LEG; THIS IS WHAT ALERTED ME TO LOOK FOR THE TFC THAT WAS FOLLOWING ME AND TO MAKE A CORRECTIVE ACTION. AFTER THE INCIDENT I TALKED WITH THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT AND WE RECOGNIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED.