PA32 PLT HAS NMAC DURING APCH TO PAO.

Narrative

WAS INBOUND FOR A LNDG (BASE ENTRY) AT PAO. AT 2200 FT; TWR ADVISED THAT I HAD 12 O'CLOCK POS NBOUND TFC; 3 MI AT 1800 FT AND CLBING. I INCREASED DSCNT RATE FROM 500 FPM TO APPROX 1000 FPM AND ADVISED THAT I WAS ACCELERATING MY DSCNT RATE. AT APPROX 1800 FT; I SAW THE OTHER ACFT LESS THAN 500 FT AHEAD AND SLIGHTLY BELOW. I SHARPLY PULLED UP. THE OTHER ACFT (SINGLE ENG; PROBABLY 4 SEATS) PASSED DIRECTLY BELOW ME AT LESS THAN 50 FT. PALO ALTO TWR CALLED WITH AN UPDATED POS RPT A FEW SECONDS AFTER THE PLANE HAD PASSED. I ACKNOWLEDGED CONTACT. A MIN LATER; I NOTIFIED PAO TWR OF THE NEAR MISS. ON THE GND; I ASKED PAO TWR WHAT THE CALL TO ME WAS. THEY INDICATED IT WAS 3 MI; 1800 FT. I WAS SO SHOOK UP THAT I INDICATED THAT I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD 2200 FT. THIS WAS INCORRECT AND THIS WAS THE ALT I WAS AT THE TIME OF THE CALL. TIME FROM FIRST CALL TO EVENT WAS LESS THAN 45 SECONDS! WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER: 1) I SHOULD NOT HAVE DSNDED INTO THE OTHER ACFT. I ASSUMED THEY WOULD CONTINUE CLBING AND THEY DID NOT; 2) I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A VECTOR RATHER THAN TRYING TO LOOK FOR THE ACFT; 3) TWR SHOULD HAVE RESPONDED THAT MY DSCNT WAS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT AND THAT THE OTHER ACFT HAD STOPPED ITS CLB; 4) TWR SHOULD HAVE OFFERED A VECTOR TO AVOID CONFLICT; 5) THE NOSE OF THE PA32 MAY HAVE BEEN BLOCKING MY VISIBILITY OF THE OTHER ACFT; AN S-TURN MAY HAVE HELPED; AND 6) MY INBOUND PATH WAS A STANDARD ENTRY TO PAO. THE OTHER ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS SPACE GOING NBOUND.