NMAC NEAR A MAJOR VORTAC UNDER CLASS B AIRSPACE BTWN A BEECH DUCHESS 76 IN LEVEL FLT AND A C210 CLBING TOWARD THE BE76. DEP CTLR GAVE A TA TO THE RPTR IN THE B376 OF THE C210 CLBING TOWARD HIM.

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I WAS GIVEN A TA ON THE CENTURION AT; I THINK; 4 O'CLOCK OR 5 O'CLOCK; ASCENDING AND FLYING IN MY DIRECTION. MY COPLT (PAX) AND I SPOTTED THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS SLOWLY GAINING ON US AND APCHING US FROM BELOW. MY COPLT WAS PERFORMING RADIO TASKS AND NOTIFIED SOCAL THAT WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. THE CENTURION WAS ALSO NOTIFIED BY ATC; BUT DID NOT HAVE US IN SIGHT. IF I TURNED IN EITHER DIRECTION; I WOULD'VE LOST SIGHT OF THE CENTURION; SO I HELD MY COURSE; KEEPING HIM IN SIGHT; THINKING THAT I COULD CHANGE COURSE AS NECESSARY WHEN WE GOT CLOSER. I THINK THIS IS THE IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE ENCOUNTER. I DID NOT WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF HIM! IF I TURNED R; I WOULD'VE LOST SIGHT OF HIM BELOW MY WING. IF I TURNED L; HE WOULD BE BEHIND ME. AS HE GOT CLOSER; I COULD SEE THAT HE WOULD PASS BEHIND ME; SO I CONTINUED MY COURSE AND ALT. HE EVIDENTLY DID NOT SEE ME UNTIL I PASSED OVER AND IN FRONT OF HIM. HE WAS STARTLED BY MY PROX AND SO RPTED IT TO ATC. ATC RPTED THAT I HAD HIM IN SIGHT. I CALLED IN AND INDICATED MY REGRET FOR BEING AS CLOSE AS I APPEARED TO HIM. WITH HINDSIGHT; NOW; I FEEL THAT I SHOULD'VE ASKED ATC TO CHANGE HIS COURSE OR HOLD HIS ALT. THIS WOULD'VE KEPT US FURTHER APART. ALTERNATIVELY; I COULD'VE CHANGED COURSE WHEN WE FIRST SPOTTED HIM; BUT AT THAT TIME I DID NOT REALIZE THAT WE WOULD BE MERGING AS CLOSELY AS WE DID. I'M NOT SURE WHY HE DID NOT SEE US EARLIER; EVEN THOUGH HE HAD HIGH WINGS; WE WERE IN FRONT OF HIM. MY COPLT RECOMMENDED I MAKE THIS RPT; AND I FEEL THAT IT IS A GOOD IDEA. HOWEVER; SINCE IT'S BEEN OVER A WK SINCE THE ENCOUNTER OCCURRED; I'M NOT SURE IF I HAVE THE DETAILED DATA ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE CORRECT. FOR EXAMPLE; IT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE VICINITY OF SLI RATHER THAN LGB; AND I MIGHT HAVE BEEN FLYING AT A HIGHER ALT.