On April 30, 1997, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177, N2921X, was substantially damaged when it collided with approach lights during the takeoff roll on runway 28 at the Fairfield County Airport, Lancaster, Ohio. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot (SP) were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR 91. In a written statement, and during a telephone interview, the flight instructor stated that he performed the takeoff. The CFI told the SP to follow through on the controls, and to advance the throttle slowly. He advised the SP to expect a correction for the wind by "lowering the left wing" and said that they would use the rudders to keep the airplane straight. When the throttle was advanced, the airplane immediately started to drift left. The CFI further stated: "...For some reason, he [SP] applied full left rudder. I tried, but could not overcome this, so I pulled the throttle shut..." The airplane continued off the left side of the runway, and came to a stop after it struck two Precision Approach Path Indicator lights. The CFI did not recall if he or the student pilot attempted to stop the airplane using the brakes. A post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed no malfunction of the airplane's brakes or nose wheel steering system. Winds reported at the Fairfield County Airport, at 1953, and 2053, were from 190 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 20 knots, and from 190 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 19 knots, respectively.