N34284Cessna 177B · 1972

The pilot reported that before takeoff he calculated the airplane weight to be 104 lbs below maximum gross weight, the takeoff distance to be about 985 ft, and estimated the wind to be from 250° at 15 knots gusting to 30 knots. The pilot departed from runway 17 and rotated the airplane for takeoff about 1,250 ft down the 2,000 ft runway. He noted that the airplane did not climb as expected, and he kept the airplane wings level in ground effect, but the airplane drifted left and collided with the runway end lights. The pilot continued the initial climb and realized that the right main landing gear tire had separated from the airplane. He continued to his destination airport and landed on the runway without further incident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Following the accident, the pilot assessed that wind may have shifted to a tailwind resulting in a loss of airplane performance. The closest aviation weather reporting facility was 25 nautical miles from the departure airport which reported a variable wind from 260° to 320° at 14 knots gusting to 24 knots.