Originally Posted by 411A
Note that in the pictures there are no sliding tracks or marks of any kind in the dirt. The C-5 evidently hit hard, the tail broke off and the rest of the plane bounced high and landed several hundred yards from the tail and stopped right where you see it without sliding.
This picture is one of a set taken at ground level very shortly after the event. In the sequence, it appears to have been taken in the direction away from the main section, from a position a bit beyond the tail section's resting point.
gear tracks
an AP overhead picture published in the New York Times a couple of days ago appears to show clear tracks documenting a gradual transition to sideways movement over the distance from the tail resting point to the main section as the marks left by the forward section get farther and farther to the right of the main track. I don't have that picture, though this relative close up shows the last portion of the gear marks:
final slide
I not trying to pick nits over how much sliding is "no sliding", just to fill in the available information.