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No fewer than nine individuals lost their lives and 11 left injured following a freight aircraft went down during departure from an international airport in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday evening.

Aviation experts believe the plane crashed after one engine failed and another appeared to be damaged during take-off.

The exact cause remains unknown what caused the plane to crash, prompting a huge explosion to erupt after it couldn't become airborne from the airstrip. Footage revealed fire had already engulfed one wing of the aircraft during its takeoff attempt, potentially spreading across the aircraft and triggered the blast, or the jet could have caught fire upon hitting an object on the ground.

What is apparent is that the 38,000 gallons of fuel aboard the MD-11 jet required for the journey likely escalated the blaze, which quickly spread to multiple structures past the airstrip and burned for hours.

How did it start?

UPS operates from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as a logistics center for its worldwide network and its designated flight was beginning of a 4,300 mile journey to Hawaii's capital when the cargo plane initiated departure.

Data from FlightRadar24 indicates the plane began to taxi along the 17R runway at around 5:15 PM local and attained a maximum velocity of 344km/h.

But verified footage demonstrate that when the plane achieved this velocity a blaze had fully consumed its left wing and the aircraft failed to gain altitude before the enormous detonation.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order to area inhabitants and scrambled numerous fire crews to the location.

The state's governor verified particulars visible in security camera recordings that shows the plane traveling just metres off the ground before a intense light engulfed the plane. It is then observed crashing onto the ground as a huge fireball erupts around it about a minute into its journey.

A verified clip recorded by motorists on a nearby highway showed the flames erupting into the skyline while later videos showed smoke pouring from the area.

Aerial images broadcast by regional news outlets depicted debris showering the runway and landing on the roofs of multiple nearby establishments.

What could have caused the crash?

ATC transmissions examined are mostly unclear and filled with static so no meaningful conversation can be heard about the incident as it unfolded.

However, experts suggested that a catastrophic malfunction of multiple engines may have been responsible for the tragedy.

The trijet cargo aircraft employs three powerplants. Two are installed under the airfoils, and a third is positioned in the rear section at the bottom of the tail fin.

Footage confirmed revealed a blaze engulfing the port wing of the plane, which then tilted to the left as it tried to achieve altitude and take-off.

Multiple specialists independently suggested the portside engine may have separated from the plane following a mechanical or structural failure.

Additional photographs captured post-accident showed a burned powerplant resting on the grass adjacent to the airstrip.

An experienced former aviator and aviation safety expert commented that it was "extremely rare" for an engine to detach during operation.

He referenced the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 tragedy, in which 273 individuals were killed when the aircraft's powerplant separated as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Engine components had been damaged when it was installed on the aircraft, but the expert stated it was too early to say whether a comparable issue caused the powerplant separation on the MD-11.

The specialist explained the cargo plane would have been capable of flight with just two engines but the damage resulting from the wing blaze was likely so great it resulted in the plane's third engine to lose thrust.

"Given the severe nature of the incident we cannot know what other damage was caused when the engine came adrift," he said.

A different aircraft specialist said the video evidence seemed to indicate the remaining powerplant had been compromised because it expelled a burst of smoke. The issue could have occurred while it was struck by wreckage from the fire and the powerplant separation.

"The tail-mounted powerplant that released smoke seems to shut down right after," the expert stated. "This left just the right engine producing thrust, resulting in a significant thrust asymmetry and making the plane incapable to gain height.

"Failing two powerplants while departing results in only a third of its power and little chance of maintaining flight, particularly under full departure mass," the expert added.

Reasons for extensive destruction

Footage from the aftermath revealed a situation of total disorder with multiple fires blazing across a large swathe of the site and smoke billowing into the sky.

The plane, which was three decades old and had been operated for passenger travel before conversion, had already completed one return journey from Louisville to the East Coast on the same day.

Authorities haven't verified which goods was on board the Hawaii-bound aircraft, though officials stated the plane was not carrying anything that would pose an increased danger of contamination.

"This was a long-haul cargo flight from Kentucky to Hawaii, so the MD-11 was transporting a lot of jet fuel," a specialist said. "That heavy fuel load not only diminished capability but also accounts for the large fireball seen after the crash."

Officials told reporters that the plane was carrying 144,000 litres of jet fuel for the long journey when it went down. The fire was probably intensified on the ground because the plane crashed into a fuel processing facility adjacent to the airfield.

A specialist indicated investigators will now focus on how the initial fire began, and "whether debris struck the central powerplant, and if previous repairs on the left engine were a factor." He added: "Weather conditions were calm and clear, so environmental factors are unlikely."

The federal investigation agency has dispatched personnel to the site and will take charge of the probe into the accident's origins, though such inquiries may require years to finalize.