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No fewer than nine individuals lost their lives and 11 left injured after a freight aircraft went down while taking off from a major air hub in Kentucky's largest city on Tuesday night.

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

The exact cause remains unknown why the aircraft failed, leading to a massive fireball to ignite after it couldn't become airborne from the runway. Video evidence revealed fire had already engulfed one wing of the aircraft during its takeoff attempt, potentially spreading across the aircraft and caused the explosion, or the plane might have ignited after colliding with an object on the ground.

What's clear is that the 144,000 litres of fuel aboard the trijet aircraft required for the journey probably intensified the blaze, which quickly spread to several buildings beyond the runway and burned for hours.

How did it start?

The shipping giant operates from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as a distribution hub for its global operations and its designated flight was at the start of a 6,920 kilometer 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 maximum velocity of 344km/h.

However, confirmed videos demonstrate that by the time the plane reached this speed a fire had completely engulfed its port side and the plane couldn't climb before the massive explosion.

Authorities issued a local safety directive to area inhabitants and dispatched hundreds of firefighters to the location.

Governor Andy Beshear verified particulars seen in CCTV footage that depict the plane traveling just feet above the surface 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.

A verified clip taken by drivers on adjacent roads showed the flames erupting into the skyline while subsequent recordings showed smoke billowing from the scene.

Overhead photographs broadcast by regional news outlets showed debris showering the runway and falling onto the tops of at least two local businesses.

Potential causes of the accident

ATC transmissions examined are largely garbled 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 multiple engines may have been the cause of the disaster.

The trijet cargo aircraft employs three powerplants. Two are installed under the airfoils, and a third is built into the rear section at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

Video verified revealed a blaze engulfing the port wing of the aircraft, which then leaned leftward as it attempted to gain lift and take-off.

Multiple specialists separately proposed the left engine may have separated from the plane after suffering from a mechanical or structural failure.

Additional photographs captured post-accident showed a charred engine resting on the grass next to the runway.

A retired airline pilot and aviation safety expert said that it was "extremely rare" 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 aircraft's powerplant separated as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Parts of the engine had been compromised when it was replaced on the plane, but the expert said it was too early to say whether a similar fault caused the powerplant separation on the trijet.

The specialist said the cargo plane would have been capable of flight with only two powerplants but the damage caused by 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 know additional destruction was done when the engine came adrift," the expert commented.

Another aviation expert observed the footage appeared to show the third engine had been damaged because it released smoke. The damage could have occurred while it was pelted with debris from the blaze and the powerplant separation.

"The upper engine that expelled a puff of smoke seems to shut down right after," the expert said. "This left just the starboard powerplant generating power, creating a significant thrust asymmetry and leaving the aircraft unable to gain height.

"Losing two engines while departing results in only a third of its power and minimal opportunity of maintaining flight, especially at full departure mass," the specialist added.

Why did the crash cause such damage?

Post-accident videos showed a scene of complete chaos with multiple fires burning across a extensive area of the location and smoke billowing into the sky.

The aircraft, which was three decades 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 Hawaii-bound aircraft, 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. "That heavy fuel load not only diminished capability but also explains the massive explosion observed post-accident."

Officials told reporters that the aircraft 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 processing facility next to the airport.

A specialist indicated investigators will now focus on how the initial fire began, and "if wreckage hit the central powerplant, and if previous repairs on the left engine were a factor." The expert continued: "Atmospheric conditions were favorable, so environmental factors are unlikely."

The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched personnel to the site and will now lead the probe into the causes of the crash, though this can take up to two years to complete.