, in the approach profile which the crew seem actually have flown, at what point ought Gear Down to have been selected? And in what ways, if any, would that timing have been different to Gear Down in a more usual approach?
It's a mystery that with such excess height they landed gear up. If they had to do it for what ever reason then at any time at 20000ft or 10000ft when the crew realised they were very high and fast and still wanted to go for it(not desirable) the first thing should have been to level off, get speed brakes out and below 250 gear down. Then configure all the way to full flaps and descend at may be Vapp+20. Initially it will make you even higher but the closing in speed being is much lower and later the very high rate of descent they could have made it. With gear up no chance.