Background
United Airlines Flight 282, a Boeing 727 (registration N7255U), was vectored by the Los Angeles Terminal Radar Approach Control (LAX TRACON) for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 25L at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Incident
While in a descending turn at 2,100 feet MSL to intercept the ILS localizer at 2,000 feet, the captain of Flight 282 observed a helicopter ahead and initiated a pull-up. He estimated that his aircraft passed within 200 to 300 feet of the helicopter.
The helicopter was a Hughes 369D (registration N8620F) operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on a surveillance flight. The DEA pilot reported that he was hovering below the LAX Terminal Control Area (TCA) when he saw the Boeing execute a right turn toward the airport. He stated that the Boeing was in his view throughout the encounter and that it did not pose a hazard to him, but he was concerned about its low altitude. Later, he advised LAX tower personnel.
Pilot Statements
The DEA pilot stated that he was operating between 1,400 and 1,900 feet and that the helicopter was at 1,300 feet when the Boeing converged. He estimated that the Boeing passed 300 to 400 feet above the helicopter.
Radar Data
Radar data indicated that the two aircraft converged to a slant range of 1,500 feet. The minimum vertical separation was 200 feet. Radar data also showed that Flight 282 remained above the floor of the TCA (2,000 feet), while the helicopter was below the TCA.
Systems Issue
A leak was discovered in the helicopter's pitot-static system, which caused an undetermined error in the airspeed and altitude indications.