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No fewer than nine individuals have died and 11 left injured following a freight aircraft went down while taking off from a major air hub in Kentucky's largest city on Tuesday evening.

Aircraft specialists believe the aircraft went down 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, prompting a huge explosion to ignite after it couldn't become airborne from the airstrip. Footage showed flames were consuming one wing of the aircraft while it was attempting to take off, which may have spread through the plane and caused the explosion, or the plane might have ignited after colliding with an object on the ground.

What is apparent is that the 144,000 litres of fuel on board the trijet aircraft required for the journey probably intensified the fire, which rapidly extended to multiple structures past the airstrip and continued burning for hours.

What initiated the incident?

The shipping giant operates from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as a distribution hub for its worldwide network and its designated flight was beginning of a 4,300 mile journey to Hawaii's capital when the freight aircraft attempted to take off.

Tracking information from FlightRadar24 shows the plane began to taxi along the designated runway at around 5:15 PM local and managed to reach a maximum velocity of 214mph.

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

Officials activated a shelter-in-place order to local residents and scrambled hundreds of firefighters to the scene.

Governor Andy Beshear verified particulars visible in security camera recordings that depict the aircraft flying just feet above the surface before a intense light engulfed the plane. It is then observed crashing onto the terrain as a huge fireball erupts around it about a minute after departure.

Authenticated footage taken by drivers on adjacent roads showed the flames erupting into the skyline while subsequent recordings showed smoke pouring from the area.

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

What could have caused the crash?

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

But analysts 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 mounted under the wings, and a third is built into the rear section at the base of the vertical stabilizer.

Footage confirmed revealed a fire consuming the port wing of the plane, which then leaned leftward as it tried to achieve altitude and become airborne.

Multiple specialists separately proposed the left engine may have detached from the plane following a technical or physical breakdown.

Additional photographs captured post-accident showed a charred engine resting on the turf adjacent to the airstrip.

An experienced former aviator and aviation safety expert said that it was "extremely rare" for an engine to detach in flight.

He referenced the 1979 aviation disaster tragedy, in which 273 people were fatally injured after the plane's engine detached as it departed from O'Hare International Airport. Engine components had been damaged when it was replaced on the plane, but the specialist stated it was premature to determine whether a similar fault caused the powerplant separation on the trijet.

The specialist explained the freight aircraft would have been able to fly with just two engines but the destruction caused by the fire on the left wing was likely so great 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 said the footage appeared to show the third engine had been compromised because it released smoke. The damage could have occurred while it was pelted with debris from the blaze and the engine detaching.

"The tail-mounted powerplant that expelled a puff of smoke appears to wind down right after," the specialist said. "That left only the right engine producing thrust, resulting in a severe power imbalance and making the plane incapable to achieve altitude.

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

Reasons for extensive destruction

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

The plane, which was 34 years old and had been used as a passenger plane until 2006, had previously made one return journey from Louisville to the East Coast on Tuesday.

Authorities haven't verified what cargo was aboard the Hawaii-bound aircraft, though authorities said the plane was not carrying anything that would pose an increased danger of environmental hazard.

"This involved extended freight transport from Louisville to Honolulu, so the trijet was transporting a significant fuel quantity," an expert said. "The substantial fuel quantity not only diminished capability but also accounts for the large fireball observed post-accident."

Officials told reporters that the plane was carrying 144,000 litres of fuel for the long journey when it crashed. The blaze was probably intensified on the ground because the aircraft slammed into a fuel processing facility next to the airport.

A specialist said investigators will now focus on the origin of the blaze, and "if wreckage hit the centre engine, and if previous repairs on the left engine were a factor." He added: "Atmospheric conditions were favorable, so environmental factors are improbable."

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