At least 12 people have died and more than a dozen are injured after a UPS cargo plane crashed while taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday evening.
Aviation experts who spoke to BBC Verify believe the plane crashed after one engine failed and another appeared to be damaged during take-off.
It is unclear what caused the plane to crash, prompting a massive fireball to erupt after it failed to take off from the runway. Footage showed fire engulfing 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 jet could have caught fire after colliding with an object on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—which is investigating the crash—reported that they have recovered airport CCTV footage showing the plane's left engine falling off during the takeoff.
They have also recovered the cockpit flight recorder and flight data recorder, known as the black box, from the wreckage, said NTSB's Todd Inman.
The plane was transporting 38,000 gallons of fuel for its flight, which likely escalated the blaze, spreading to several buildings beyond the runway and burning for hours.
Footage from the aftermath of the crash painted a scene of chaos, with multiple fires blazing and smoke billowing into the sky.
The MD-11 jet had been used as a passenger plane until 2006, and this incident has raised significant questions regarding its safety and maintenance history. Investigators will focus on how the initial fire began and whether debris struck the center engine, while also reviewing communications from air traffic control during the incident.
