On July 11, 1999, at 0730 central daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N4886G, experienced a loss of directional control and a collision with the terrain while taking off on Runway 30 at the Faribault Municipal Airport, Faribault, Minnesota. The student pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll the airplane began to veer to the left. He reported he shut down the engine and the airplane traveled into the grass along side the runway where it came to rest. The accident site and the airplane were inspected by an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration Minneapolis Flight Standards District Office. The inspector reported that upon traveling off the left side of the runway, the airplane nosed down into a small gully. An inspection of the airplane failed to reveal any failure/malfunction which would have prevented the pilot from maintaining directional control of the airplane. The winds reported at the Faribault Municipal Airport at 0755 cdt were from 230 degrees at 4 knots.