On August 4, 1943, a B-24 Liberator plane crashed near NuBieber, killing all nine on aboard. Not only was this the worst aviation disaster in Lassen County, but it was the largest single fatality accident, too. Details of the crash are scant due to the government’s censure of such events during World War II. According to the Big Valley Gazette, there were over 100 people who witnessed the event, thus the paper quipped over 100 different versions of the event. Some stated that plane exploded high in the air; others said happened just before it crash to the ground. The bodies and the wreckage were scattered over a mile from the crash site. The flight originated at Pocatello, Idaho, with a destination of Chico, California. Those wo lost their lives were: John H. Ballard, Joseph F. Caccavale, Joseph P. DeFrancisci, Elvin L. Griffith, Burton C. Hermann, Robert G. Larsen, Kenneth J. Lovelace, Louis J. Marie and Bruce E. Wright.