The landing configuration is very much like the takeoff configuration (ie., gear and flaps down). Flaps down is what the pics seem to show. If the bird strike scenario is correct, at some point after the strike and engine failures, the pilot would probably be trying to get the gear and flaps up (if they were not already up) in order to reduce drag.
Drag reduction would be critical so that he could gain altitude and airspeed and make it around to the south of the airport for an emergency approach and landing — difficult to do at heavy weight on only two remaining engines. At some point the gear and flaps have to come down again and the drag increases beyond the capability of two engines to maintain level flight.
Then you are in a controlled and irreversible descent even with the two remaining engines at max power. If you have enough altitude, and if you can control the adverse yaw, and if you can maintain your airspeed, and if you are close enough to the runway, you will make it. Unfortunately, one or more of those ifs didn't work out for this C-5 pilot.
But fortunately, by God's grace, they all survived. The accident board will sort it all out and give us an accurate read on the causes later on.
The latest update I read states that 11 of the 17 crew and passengers have been released from the hospital. The six remaining in 2 Delaware hospitals are all listed in "fair" condition.
Apparantly, the plane was 10 minutes into flight, over or very near New Jersey when they turned around. My father, who volunteers at the base said that the word was mechanical failure of some sort. On the way back in, they clipped a telephone pole, which caused the nose to jerk up, and the tail down, which is what ripped off the tail. Then, on the hard "rebound", the nose went down hard causing that separation.
It's still early, and the only "official" parts of the above that I've heard from multiple sources are the 10 minutes into flight and hitting a telephone pole at some point. If the plane was already over Jersey, I would think that rules out (or at least minimizes the possibility of) birds as a factor. Then again, I'm a banker, not an aviation expert, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night :)