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At least nine people lost their lives and 11 others were hurt after a UPS cargo plane crashed during departure from an international airport in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday night.

Aircraft specialists believe the aircraft went down due to a single engine malfunctioned and another appeared to be damaged while lifting off.

It is unclear 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 a single wing of the plane while it was attempting to take off, which may have spread across the aircraft and triggered the blast, or the jet could have caught fire upon hitting an object on the ground.

What's clear is that the 38,000 gallons of fuel on board the MD-11 jet required for the journey likely escalated the blaze, which rapidly extended to multiple structures beyond the runway and continued burning for hours.

How did it start?

UPS uses the Louisville air hub as a distribution hub for its worldwide network and its designated flight was at the start of a 6,920 kilometer journey to Honolulu in Hawaii when the freight aircraft initiated departure.

Data from flight monitoring services shows the plane began to taxi along the designated runway at around 5:15 PM local and attained a top speed of 214mph.

But verified footage demonstrate that by the time 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 activated a local safety directive to area inhabitants and dispatched numerous fire crews to the scene.

The state's governor confirmed particulars seen in CCTV footage that depict the aircraft flying just feet above the surface before a intense light consumed the aircraft. It is then seen slamming into the terrain as a massive fire explosion ignites surrounding it about a minute after departure.

Authenticated footage taken by motorists on a nearby highway displayed the flames erupting into the skyline while later videos showed smoke billowing from the scene.

Overhead photographs broadcast by regional news outlets depicted wreckage scattering across the airstrip and falling onto the roofs of multiple nearby establishments.

Potential causes of the accident

ATC transmissions reviewed are largely garbled and filled with static so no clear dialogue can be discerned about the crash as it developed.

But analysts suggested that a dramatic failure of two of the engines may have been responsible for the tragedy.

The MD-11 transport plane uses three powerplants. Two are mounted under the airfoils, and a third is built into the tail at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

Video verified revealed a fire consuming the left wing of the plane, which then tilted to the left as it tried to achieve altitude and become airborne.

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

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

A retired airline pilot and aircraft safety specialist said that it was "almost unheard of" for an powerplant to separate in flight.

He referenced the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 tragedy, in which 273 individuals were fatally injured after the aircraft's powerplant separated as it took off from Chicago's major airport. Parts of the engine had been compromised when it was installed on the aircraft, but the expert stated it was premature to determine whether a comparable issue caused the powerplant separation on the MD-11.

The expert explained the cargo plane would have been able to fly with only two powerplants but the destruction resulting from the wing blaze was likely so great it caused the aircraft's remaining engine to fail to produce power.

"With such a catastrophic event we cannot determine what other damage was done when the engine came adrift," he said.

A different aircraft specialist said the footage seemed to indicate the remaining powerplant had been compromised because it released smoke. The damage could have happened while it was pelted with debris from the blaze and the engine detaching.

"The upper engine that expelled a puff of smoke seems to shut down right after," the expert said. "This left just the right engine generating power, resulting in a severe power imbalance and making the plane incapable to gain height.

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

Why did the crash cause such damage?

Post-accident videos revealed a scene of complete chaos with numerous blazes blazing across a large swathe of the site and smoke rising upward.

The aircraft, which was 34 years old and had been used as a passenger plane until 2006, had previously made one return journey from the Kentucky hub to Baltimore in Maryland on Tuesday.

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

"This involved extended freight transport from Kentucky to Hawaii, so the trijet was carrying a lot of jet fuel," a specialist commented. "The substantial fuel quantity not only reduced performance 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 long journey when it went down. The fire was probably intensified on the ground because the aircraft slammed into a fuel processing facility next to the airport.

A specialist indicated authorities will concentrate on the origin of the blaze, 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 unlikely."

The federal investigation agency has sent a team to the location and will take charge of the probe into the causes of the crash, though such inquiries may require years to finalize.