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No fewer than nine people lost their lives and 11 left injured following a UPS cargo plane went down while taking off from a major air hub in Kentucky's largest city on Tuesday evening.

Aircraft specialists suggest the plane crashed after 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 ignite after it couldn't become airborne from the runway. Footage revealed fire had already engulfed one wing of the aircraft during its takeoff attempt, which may have spread through the plane and caused the explosion, or the plane might have ignited upon hitting ground-based obstacles.

What's clear is that the 144,000 litres of jet fuel on board the MD-11 jet needed for the flight likely escalated the blaze, which rapidly extended to multiple structures beyond the runway and continued burning for hours.

How did it start?

UPS operates from the Louisville air hub as a distribution hub for its worldwide network and its Flight 2976 was at the start of a 4,300 mile journey to Hawaii's capital when the freight aircraft attempted to take off.

Tracking information from flight monitoring services indicates the plane started moving along the designated runway at around 17:15 local time and managed to reach a maximum velocity of 344km/h.

However, confirmed videos shows that when the plane reached this speed a blaze had fully consumed its port side and the aircraft failed to gain altitude before the massive explosion.

Officials activated a local safety directive 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 bright flash consumed the aircraft. It is then seen slamming into the terrain as a huge fireball ignites surrounding it about a minute into its journey.

Authenticated footage taken by motorists on a nearby highway showed the fire rising into the air while later videos revealed smoke pouring from the area.

Aerial images shown on local media depicted wreckage scattering across the airstrip and landing on the tops of at least two local businesses.

Potential causes of the accident

ATC transmissions reviewed are mostly unclear and filled with static so no meaningful conversation can be discerned about the crash as it developed.

However, experts proposed that a catastrophic malfunction of multiple engines may have been the cause of the disaster.

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

Footage confirmed revealed a blaze engulfing the left wing of the plane, which then tilted to the left as it attempted to gain lift and take-off.

Multiple specialists separately proposed the portside engine may have detached from the plane following a mechanical or structural failure.

Additional photographs taken after the crash displayed a burned powerplant resting on the grass next to the runway.

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

He referenced the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 tragedy, in which 273 individuals were fatally injured when the aircraft's powerplant separated as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Parts of the engine 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 engine to detach on the trijet.

The expert said the cargo plane would have been able to fly with just two engines but the destruction resulting from the fire on the left wing was likely so great it caused the plane's third engine to fail to produce power.

"Given the severe nature of the incident we cannot know additional destruction was done when the powerplant separated," he said.

A different aircraft specialist observed the footage seemed to indicate the third engine had been damaged because it released smoke. The issue could have happened while it was struck by wreckage from the fire and the powerplant separation.

"The tail-mounted powerplant that released smoke seems to shut down almost immediately afterwards," the specialist said. "This left just the starboard powerplant producing thrust, creating a significant thrust asymmetry and making the plane incapable to achieve altitude.

"Failing two powerplants while departing results in only a third of its power and minimal opportunity of staying airborne, especially at maximum take-off weight," the expert added.

Why did the crash cause such damage?

Footage from the aftermath revealed a scene of complete chaos with multiple fires blazing across a large swathe of the location and smoke billowing into the sky.

The aircraft, which was three decades old and had been operated for passenger travel before conversion, had previously made one return journey from the Kentucky hub to Baltimore in Maryland on Tuesday.

Authorities haven't verified which goods was on board the flight bound for Hawaii, though authorities stated the plane was not carrying anything that would create a heightened risk of environmental hazard.

"This was a long-haul cargo flight from Kentucky to Hawaii, so the MD-11 was carrying a lot of jet fuel," an expert said. "That heavy fuel load not only diminished capability but also explains the large fireball observed post-accident."

Officials told reporters that the aircraft was carrying 144,000 litres of jet fuel for the long journey when it crashed. The blaze was likely amplified on the surface because the plane crashed into a fuel processing facility adjacent to the airfield.

A specialist said authorities will concentrate on how the initial fire began, and "whether debris struck the centre engine, and whether earlier maintenance on the left engine were a factor." The expert continued: "Weather conditions were calm and clear, so weather-related causes are improbable."

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to the site and will now lead the investigation into the causes of the crash, though such inquiries may require years to finalize.