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At least nine individuals lost their lives and 11 left injured after a freight aircraft crashed while taking off from a major air hub in Kentucky's largest city on Tuesday evening.

Aircraft specialists believe the plane crashed due to a single engine malfunctioned and another appeared to be damaged while lifting off.

The exact cause remains unknown what caused the plane to crash, leading to a huge explosion to erupt after it couldn't become airborne from the airstrip. Video evidence revealed fire had already engulfed one wing of the plane during its takeoff attempt, potentially spreading through the plane and caused the explosion, or the plane might have ignited upon hitting an object on the ground.

What is apparent is that the 144,000 litres of jet fuel on board the MD-11 jet needed for the flight likely escalated the fire, which rapidly extended to several buildings beyond the runway and burned for hours.

What initiated the incident?

The shipping giant uses the Louisville air hub as a logistics center for its global operations and its designated flight was at the start of a 4,300 mile trip to Hawaii's capital when the freight aircraft attempted to take off.

Data from flight monitoring services shows the plane started moving along the designated runway at around 17:15 local time and managed to reach a top speed of 214mph.

However, confirmed videos demonstrate that by the time the plane reached this speed a blaze had fully consumed its left wing and the plane couldn't climb before the enormous detonation.

Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order to local residents and scrambled numerous fire crews to the scene.

The state's governor verified particulars seen in CCTV footage that shows the plane traveling just metres off the ground before a intense light consumed the aircraft. It is then observed crashing onto the terrain as a massive fire explosion erupts around it about a minute after departure.

Authenticated footage taken by drivers on adjacent roads displayed the fire rising into the air while later videos showed smoke billowing from the scene.

Overhead photographs shown on regional news outlets depicted wreckage scattering across the airstrip and falling onto the roofs of at least two local businesses.

Potential causes of the accident

ATC transmissions reviewed are mostly unclear and full of interference so no clear dialogue can be discerned about the incident as it developed.

But analysts suggested that a catastrophic malfunction of two of the engines may have been the cause of the tragedy.

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

Video verified showed a fire consuming the port wing of the plane, which then tilted to the left as it attempted to gain lift and become airborne.

Two experts separately proposed the portside engine may have detached from the plane following a technical or physical breakdown.

Separate images taken after the crash showed a charred engine resting on the turf next to the runway.

A retired airline pilot and aviation safety expert commented that it was "almost unheard of" for an engine to detach in flight.

The expert recalled the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 disaster, in which 273 people were fatally injured when the plane's engine detached as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Engine components had been damaged when it was installed on the aircraft, but the expert said it was too early to say whether a comparable issue led to the engine to detach on the MD-11.

The expert said the freight aircraft would have been able to fly with only two powerplants but the damage resulting from the fire on the left wing was probably extensive enough it resulted in the plane's third engine to lose thrust.

"With such a catastrophic event we cannot determine what other damage was done when the powerplant separated," the expert commented.

Another aviation expert observed the video evidence seemed to indicate the third engine had been damaged because it released smoke. The damage could have occurred while it was pelted with debris from the fire and the powerplant separation.

"The upper engine that released smoke appears to wind down right after," the expert stated. "This left just the right engine producing thrust, creating a significant thrust asymmetry and making the plane incapable to achieve altitude.

"Losing two engines during take-off leaves the aircraft with only a third of its power and little chance of staying airborne, particularly under full departure mass," the expert continued.

Reasons for extensive destruction

Footage from the aftermath showed a scene of complete chaos with numerous blazes burning across a extensive area of the location and smoke rising upward.

The aircraft, which was 34 years old and had been operated for passenger travel until 2006, had previously made one return journey from Louisville to Baltimore in Maryland on the same day.

It has not been confirmed which goods was on board the flight bound for Hawaii, though authorities said the aircraft didn't contain anything that would create a heightened risk of contamination.

"This was a long-haul cargo flight from Kentucky to Hawaii, so the trijet was transporting a lot of jet fuel," a specialist commented. "That heavy fuel load not only diminished capability but also explains the massive explosion seen after the crash."

Officials told reporters that the plane was transporting 144,000 litres of jet fuel for the extended trip when it went down. The blaze was likely amplified on the ground because the plane crashed into a fuel recycling business next to the airport.

The expert indicated authorities will concentrate on the origin of the blaze, and "if wreckage hit the central powerplant, and if previous repairs on the portside powerplant were a factor." The expert continued: "Atmospheric conditions were favorable, so weather-related causes are improbable."

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to the site and will take charge of the investigation into the accident's origins, though this can take up to two years to finalize.