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At least nine individuals have died and 11 others were hurt following a freight aircraft crashed while taking off from an international airport in Kentucky's largest city on Tuesday night.

Aviation experts believe the plane crashed after a single engine malfunctioned and another appeared to be damaged during take-off.

The exact cause remains unknown why the aircraft failed, leading to a massive fireball to erupt after it couldn't become airborne from the airstrip. Footage revealed fire had already engulfed a single wing of the aircraft during its takeoff attempt, potentially spreading across the aircraft and caused the explosion, or the plane might have ignited upon hitting ground-based obstacles.

What is apparent is that the 144,000 litres of fuel on board the MD-11 jet needed for the flight probably intensified the fire, which quickly spread to multiple structures beyond the runway and continued burning for hours.

How did it start?

UPS uses Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as a distribution hub for its worldwide network and its Flight 2976 was at the start of a 4,300 mile trip to Hawaii's capital when the cargo plane attempted to take off.

Data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane began to taxi along the 17R runway at around 17:15 local time and managed to reach a maximum velocity of 344km/h.

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

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

Governor Andy Beshear verified particulars seen in CCTV footage that shows the plane traveling just feet above the surface before a intense light consumed the aircraft. It is then observed crashing onto the terrain as a massive fire explosion ignites surrounding it about a minute into its journey.

A verified clip taken by drivers on adjacent roads displayed the fire rising into the air while later videos revealed smoke pouring from the area.

Aerial images broadcast by regional news outlets showed debris showering the runway and falling onto the roofs of multiple nearby establishments.

What could have caused the crash?

ATC transmissions examined are mostly unclear and full of interference so no meaningful conversation can be discerned about the crash as it unfolded.

But analysts proposed that a catastrophic malfunction of multiple engines may have been responsible for the disaster.

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

Footage confirmed revealed a fire consuming the left wing of the plane, which then leaned leftward as it tried to achieve altitude and take-off.

Two experts separately proposed the portside engine may have separated from the plane after suffering from a technical or physical breakdown.

Additional photographs taken after the crash showed a charred engine sitting on the grass adjacent to the airstrip.

A retired airline pilot and aircraft safety specialist commented that it was "almost unheard of" for an engine to detach during operation.

The expert recalled the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 disaster, in which 273 individuals were killed when the plane's engine detached as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Engine components had been compromised when it was installed on the aircraft, but the specialist said it was premature to determine whether a comparable issue led to the powerplant separation on the trijet.

The expert explained the cargo plane would have been capable of flight with only two powerplants but the damage resulting from the wing blaze was probably extensive enough it caused the aircraft's remaining engine to fail to produce power.

"Given the severe nature of the incident we cannot determine additional destruction was caused when the powerplant separated," the expert commented.

Another aviation expert said the video evidence appeared to show the remaining powerplant had been damaged 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 upper engine that expelled a puff of smoke appears to wind down right after," the expert said. "That left only the right engine generating power, resulting in a severe power imbalance and making the plane incapable to achieve altitude.

"Failing two powerplants during take-off leaves the aircraft with only a third of its power and little chance of maintaining flight, especially at full departure mass," the specialist continued.

Reasons for extensive destruction

Footage from the aftermath revealed a situation of total disorder with numerous blazes burning across a extensive area of the site and smoke billowing into the sky.

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

Authorities haven't verified what cargo was on board the flight bound for Hawaii, though officials said the plane was not carrying anything that would create a heightened risk of environmental hazard.

"This was a long-haul cargo flight from Louisville to Honolulu, so the trijet was transporting a significant fuel quantity," an expert commented. "The substantial fuel quantity not only diminished capability but also accounts for the massive explosion observed post-accident."

Authorities told reporters that the aircraft was transporting 38,000 gallons of jet fuel for the long journey when it crashed. The fire was likely amplified on the surface because the plane crashed into a fuel recycling business next to the airport.

A specialist indicated authorities will concentrate on how the initial fire began, and "whether debris struck the centre engine, and if previous repairs on the portside powerplant were a factor." He added: "Weather conditions were calm and clear, so environmental factors are improbable."

The federal investigation agency has sent a team to the location and will take charge of the probe into the accident's origins, though this can take up to two years to complete.