The lightest plane ever created was the Bede BD-5 micro plane. These were crafted in the 1970s, and shipped to buyers who had placed deposits on the aircraft. The motors for the planes were not shipped with the model. Those were expected to come later.
But before all of the engines could be sent, the company that was supplying them went bankrupt. Another company was located, and they began to provide some of the motors. But the Bede Aircraft Corporation was in financial trouble as well. The plane itself weighed a mere 358.8 pounds. The draw to these planes was that people could build them in their garages.
However, the kits that arrived were beset with problems. Many of the kits were incomplete, missing instructions, or having items substituted from the original marketing. Another downfall was the fatality rate associated with the planes. In the small number of aircraft that were able to be completed and go into the air, fourteen of the planes crashed. Out of those fourteen, nine people were killed.