Narrative:

Incident occurred while being given radar vectors to lax runway 25L from the northeast of the airport. We were being stepped down at 500 ft increments and finally given a turn south onto a base leg with descent clearance to 3500 ft. I called out to the captain '800 ft to go' at which time I saw a heavy foreign jet at 12 O'clock and 3 mi in our turn at our altitude. To this point we had not heard any communication with this aircraft. It was in a right turn more or less on a dog leg to either runway 25 or runway 24. I called out the traffic to our crew and told approach control. However, I received no response from approach. I was leaning forward to maintain visual contact and did not see the captain pass through our assigned altitude. At 3200 ft the captain noticed the deviation and pulled back up to 3500 ft. The heavy would have crossed dangerously close had it not continued its descent to 2500 ft (we were told of his altitude later). It landed 24R and we passed directly over it at 3500 ft. Had approach kept us advised of the traffic there would not have been the undue distraction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR HAS CLOSE PROX WITH HVT ON APCH INTO LAX. ALT DEV.

Narrative: INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE BEING GIVEN RADAR VECTORS TO LAX RWY 25L FROM THE NE OF THE ARPT. WE WERE BEING STEPPED DOWN AT 500 FT INCREMENTS AND FINALLY GIVEN A TURN S ONTO A BASE LEG WITH DSCNT CLRNC TO 3500 FT. I CALLED OUT TO THE CAPT '800 FT TO GO' AT WHICH TIME I SAW A HVY FOREIGN JET AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 3 MI IN OUR TURN AT OUR ALT. TO THIS POINT WE HAD NOT HEARD ANY COM WITH THIS ACFT. IT WAS IN A R TURN MORE OR LESS ON A DOG LEG TO EITHER RWY 25 OR RWY 24. I CALLED OUT THE TFC TO OUR CREW AND TOLD APCH CTL. HOWEVER, I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM APCH. I WAS LEANING FORWARD TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT AND DID NOT SEE THE CAPT PASS THROUGH OUR ASSIGNED ALT. AT 3200 FT THE CAPT NOTICED THE DEV AND PULLED BACK UP TO 3500 FT. THE HVY WOULD HAVE CROSSED DANGEROUSLY CLOSE HAD IT NOT CONTINUED ITS DSCNT TO 2500 FT (WE WERE TOLD OF HIS ALT LATER). IT LANDED 24R AND WE PASSED DIRECTLY OVER IT AT 3500 FT. HAD APCH KEPT US ADVISED OF THE TFC THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE UNDUE DISTR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.