Incident Overview
Air New Zealand Flight 6, a Boeing 747 registered as ZK-NZX, was inbound to Los Angeles when it was cleared to descend to 7,000 feet approximately 26 miles south of the Seal Beach VOR. The aircraft was under the tracking of Coast TRACON, which also detected another Mode C target. However, Coast TRACON was not in radio contact with the second aircraft, which was unidentified.
ATC Interaction
As the second aircraft closed on a head-on course, air traffic control issued traffic advisories to the crew of the 747. The unknown aircraft was converging at the same altitude as the 747. In response, the flight crew executed an abrupt descending left turn to avoid a collision. The two aircraft passed with approximately 100 meters of horizontal separation.
Aftermath
The other aircraft was reported to be a small twin-engine airplane. As a result of the abrupt maneuver, two flight attendants and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The area and altitude involved were in uncontrolled airspace.