Anyone whom has flown in the northern part of Iran in the wintertime (as I certainly have, with 4-engine heavy jet and large turbopropeller types...CATII approved as well) can tell you about some of the most adverse weather conditions you might imagine.... Makes Europe look like childs play.
411A I operated to THR in late 70's with KAC on B707 320-C and do not recall weather in winter being any different to that in Europe and certainly not CAT11 then.
Keep in mind that the IranAir B727's (many of them, anyway) are older than dirt, and...due to western sanctions, have little in the way of adequate spares support. A causitive factor? Just a thought, but...time will tell.
I got up close not so long ago to a few Iranian airliners and I can confirm that they don't appear to be in good condition. The Fokker's in particular seemed patched up and the jetpipe noise and visible exhaust gases seemed excessive to me.
It flies into a sh!tstorm in 500m vis, so naturally it's the spares. If this had happened in the USA, anyone questioning tech support over the wx would have been laughed off the forum.
Did you mean to say lower or did you beat me to it looking up the approach charts for OITR? Just had a quick look and the required visibility for the approach is 800m unless coming down on a LTS CAT I or with EVS which I much doubt was fitted to the airframe in question. I am well aware of the fact that the RVR value is usually higher than the reported met vis.
I am well aware of the fact that the RVR value is usually higher than the reported met vis.
That is what I was saying in response to Kyprianos Biris who seemed to be implying that they made an approach below minimas, which isn't necessarily the case, we do not know what the RVR was which can often be greater then the met vis.
Oh, my apologies. I thought he highlighted the two METARs just to amplify the time of the accident. Sorry, I completely misunderstood your post. I thought you had a go at me for saying that the weather indicated it would be acceptable CAT I, but as it turned out, based on met vis alone it wouldn't be, not at 16:50 anyway.
An Iranian passenger plane with 104 passengers aboard has crashed near the northwestern city of Orumiyeh. According to Mehr, 72 of the passengers, including the pilot and all flight attendants, have lost their lives.
The Boeing 727 had taken off from Mehr-Abad Airport in the Iranian capital, Tehran, with a one-hour delay and was en route to Orumiyeh International Airport when the incident happened.
In the US, there would not be a question of spares support, but there is in Iran. The embargoes are, no doubt, a factor, whether you or I agree with them. In Iran, there have been questions about airworthiness in past, far too many, crashes. So, yes, it is a legitimate question, if very speculative. But when has speculation not taken a backseat here at PPRuNe.
( 
