A C172 CFI HAS A PROB WITH ACFT IDENT AND TURNED BASE TOO EARLY AT DAB; FL.

Narrative

WHILE ON A R DOWNWIND IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 7R AT DAB; I LOST SIGHT OF THE CESSNA WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW; AS A RESULT OF MY ATTN BEING MOMENTARILY DIVERTED BY THE STUDENT PLT THAT WAS FLYING. I TOOK CTL OF THE AIRPLANE AND CONTINUED DOWNWIND. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ATC ADVISED US THAT THE CESSNA WE WERE TO FOLLOW HAD TURNED BASE TOO EARLY AND CUT OFF SEVERAL ACFT ON FINAL; AND TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND TO FOLLOW MOONEY ON FINAL. A FEW MOMENTS LATER; I SAW A MOONEY ON FINAL; ABEAM OUR POS AND STARTED TO TURN BASE TO FOLLOW. AS I HAD NEARLY COMPLETED THE 90 DEG R TURN; I SAW ANOTHER MOONEY ABOUT 1 MI AWAY COMING NEARLY AT US; AND I EXECUTED A 270 DEG R TURN BACK TO DOWNWIND; REALIZING THAT THE FIRST MOONEY I SAW WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 7L; THE PARALLEL RWY. THIS OCCURRED ON AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND FOR RWY 7R ABOUT 3 MI FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN WHICH MIGHT HAVE CREATED A COLLISION HAZARD; THOUGH I DON'T BELIEVE IT DID. ATC THEN ASKED WHO HAD MADE THE EARLY BASE TURN AND THE FOLLOWING TURN. NOW THAT THERE WAS SILENCE ON THE FREQ; I ADVISED ATC THAT WE HAD TURNED EARLY BUT NOW HAD THE CORRECT MOONEY IN SIGHT. WE WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW IT AND CLRED TO LAND. I DO NOT BELIEVE ATC EVER GAVE THE POS OF THE MOONEY INITIALLY JUST THAT IT WAS 'A MOONEY ON FINAL.' DUE TO MY INITIAL PERCEPTION; I TURNED BASE TOO EARLY; BELIEVING THE MOONEY THAT WAS FINAL FOR RWY 7L WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 7R.