C152 ENTERING PATTERN FOR LNDG AT LGB EXPERIENCED NMAC WITH HELI TRANSITIONING CLASS D AT 1000 FT.

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MY STUDENT MADE THE INITIAL CALL-UP TO ENTER THE CLASS D AIRSPACE AND ENTER THE TFC PATTERN TO RWY 25L FROM THE SW. WE WERE CLRED TO CONTINUE AND INSTRUCTED TO RPT DOWNWIND. AS WE ENTERED THE DOWNWIND TO RWY 25L FROM THE 45 DEG; MY STUDENT RPTED AS INSTRUCTED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; TWR RPTED; 'TFC; HELI; 1 O'CLOCK POS; 1000 FT; WAS TRAVELING WBOUND; BUT APPARENTLY HAS DECIDED TO TRAVEL NBOUND....' (THERE WAS SOME NOISE ON THE FREQ AND UNKNOWN IF IT WAS RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT.) I LOOKED AT THE HDG INDICATOR AND CONFIRMED THAT THE HELI'S DIRECTION OF TRAVEL WAS NEARLY AT 90 DEG INTERCEPT ANGLE. I LOOKED OVER TO MY R; TOOK THE CTLS AND LIFTED (BANKED) THE R WING UP. I SAW A HELI IMMEDIATELY TO MY R AND FORWARD; HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARD US. I SAW THE L SIDE AND BELLY OF THE 'JET RANGER' TYPE HELI; INDICATING THAT IT WAS AHEAD AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE OUR ALT. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED PWR AND FORCIBLY PITCHED THE PLANE DOWN AND TO THE R. I SAW THE HELI CONTINUE NBOUND ABOVE US WITH NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN BY THE PLT. AFTER THE HELI PASSED; WHICH WAS IMMEDIATE; I THEN BROUGHT THE PLANE BACK UP TO TPA (WHICH IS 1000 FT). MY STUDENT CONTINUED THE APCH AND LNDG WITHOUT FURTHER EVENT. I AM POSITIVE THAT HAD NO EVASIVE ACTION BEEN TAKEN BY ME; THE 2 ACFT WOULD HAVE HIT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE HELI WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO TRANSITION THE AIRPLANE ON A CERTAIN HDG OR TRANSITION. HOWEVER; IT DEVIATED FROM IT'S ORIGINAL COURSE WITHOUT CLRNC. THE PLT'S UNANTICIPATED ACTION AND DEV FROM HIS CLRNC; AS WELL AS LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE (HELI TPA IS 500 FT AND NORMAL TRANSITION TO THE R RWY IS 2000 FT); AS WELL AS HIS VIOLATION OF FAR 91.113 AND LACK OF EVASIVE ACTION CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO THIS INCIDENT. THE CTLR'S AUTH TO ALLOW THE HELI TO TRANSITION THE AIRSPACE AT TPA (IF; FACT) AND LACK TO EFFECTIVELY CTL THE ACFT AFTER THE DEV FROM ASSIGNED HDG ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 637167: I WAS CLRED FOR A LONG BEACH ARPT S TO N TRANSITION MIDFIELD 1000 FT (HDG 360 DEGS). FEW SECONDS AFTER RPTING 'THE TANK FARM; FOR XING MIDFIELD 1000 FT (APPROX 1 NM S OF THE RWY 25L); I SAW A CESSNA AT 9 O'CLOCK POS ON THE L DOWNWIND; RWY 25L; HEADED 090 DEGS AT THE SAME ALT AND CONVERGING FAST. I ACCELERATED FORWARD (360 DEG HDG) MAINTAINING ALT AND THE CESSNA DOVE AND TURNED R (120 HDG APPROX). WE CAME WITHIN 100 FT SEPARATION. I DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY TFC WARNING FROM THE TWR. I HAD A TCASII INDICATION. THE TCASII SCREEN WAS HEAVILY CLUTTERED DUE TO THE PROX WITH THE ARPT AND THE LARGE NUMBER OF ACFT IN THE AIR AND ON THE GND. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO RECEIVE SEVERAL WARNINGS WHEN XING OVER AN ARPT. THE TCASII IS SET OFF BY THE ACFT ON THE GND SQUAWKING MODE C. I WOULD SUGGEST THE TWR CTLR KEEP TFC OUTSIDE OF THEIR AIRSPACE IF THEY FEEL OVERLOADED OR IF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS LOW OR LOST. BOTH PLTS AND ATC SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT THE CLRNC ISSUED IS COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. THE SIMPLE TECHNIQUE OF THE 'READBACK CORRECT' SHOULD IMPROVE THE SIT. IMPLEMENT ALTERNATIVE TRANSITION RTES THROUGH CONGESTED AIRSPACES THAT WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE FIXED WING TFC PATTERNS.