PVT PLT OF A C177 LOST CTL OF THE ACFT AFTER UNEXPECTEDLY ENTERING CLOUDS DURING A VFR CLBOUT AFTER TKOF. HE REGAINED CTL OF THE ACFT AND STRUCK A TREE DURING HIS RECOVERY DAMAGING THE L WING LEADING EDGE; LNDG LIGHT AND THE L WINGTIP NAV LIGHT.

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ON DEC/XA/98 AT APPROX XA45; I REQUESTED TAXI TO RWY 34 AT BLI; WITH THE CURRENT ATIS INFO. DURING THE CALL I STATED THAT WE WERE SWBOUND BUT WISHED TO GO WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IF THE WX IN THAT DIRECTION WAS NOT SUITABLE WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN. (OUR DEST WAS ORCAS ISLAND ARPT -- ORS ARPT.) THE TWR CTLR INFORMED US THAT THE TERMINAL INFO WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING AND GAVE US A NEW BRIEFING WITH 7 MI VISIBILITY; DOWN FROM 10 MI. HE ASKED OUR DEST AND AFTER I RESPONDED; HE INFORMED US THAT HE HAD NO CURRENT INFO ABOUT CONDITIONS AT EASTSOUND (ORS). BLI WAS AT THAT TIME RPTING 'A FEW CLOUDS AT 800 FT; 1400 FT OVCST; LIGHT RAIN; WIND 360 DEGS AT 13 KTS.' I HAD OBSERVED A FLT EXECUTE AN ILS APCH TO RWY 16; OVERFLY; CIRCLE W AND LAND ON RWY 34 APPROX 10 MINS EARLIER AND NOTICED NO OBSCURATION DUE TO LOW CLOUDS. UPON REACHING RWY 34; I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF AND BEGAN AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF. DURING CLBOUT AT 500 FT MSL; I ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS AND BEGAN SHUTTING OFF LNDG/TAXI LIGHTS AND STROBE. I RADIOED THE TWR AND INDICATED THAT I WAS RETURNING TO LAND. THE CTLR RESPONDED THAT HE WAS INCREASING THE LNDG LIGHT INTENSITY TO MAX AND WOULD AMEND THE WX INFO IMMEDIATELY. I LEVELED OUT AND BEGAN A 180 DEG TURN TO THE L. DURING THIS TURN; I APPARENTLY OVERREACTED AND INCREASED THE BANK ANGLE TO THE EXTENT THAT I BEGAN LOSING ALT. MY INST SCAN WAS POOR AND I REALIZE NOW THAT I WAS SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR GND REF. I HAD LEVELED THE WINGS BUT WAS STILL DSNDING WHEN I SAW TREE TOPS BY THE LIGHT OF THE NAV LIGHTS. I DID AN IMMEDIATE PULL UP/PWR INCREASE AND WE FELT A SHUDDER. AT THAT TIME I FELT THAT THE L GEAR HAD IMPACTED A TREE TOP AND THAT THE ONLY AIRWORTHINESS CONCERN WOULD BE UPON LNDG. THE RWY WAS NOW VISIBLE OFF THE L SIDE AND WE WERE PARALLEL ON A CLOSE IN DOWNWIND. I RPTED RWY IN SIGHT AND ON L DOWNWIND AND THE CTLR REDUCED THE INTENSITY OF THE RWY LIGHTS AND CLRED ME TO LAND. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT HE WAS AMENDING THE CONDITIONS TO 300 FT BROKEN AND THANKED ME FOR THE CEILING INFO; SINCE HIS CEILOMETER WAS OTS. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND THE GEAR AND BRAKING SYS SEEMED TO BE NORMAL. DURING TAXI THE CTLR MENTIONED THAT THE L NAV LIGHT SEEMED TO BE OUT AND I INFORMED HIM THAT I WOULD CHK IT. WE TAXIED TO TRANSIENT PARKING; TIED DOWN AND DEPLANED. UPON INSPECTION; THE L WING LEADING EDGE HAD OBVIOUSLY IMPACTED A VERT OBSTRUCTION APPROX 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND HAD CRUMPLED A PORTION OF THE SKIN ADJACENT TO THE LNDG/TAXI LIGHT LENS; WHICH WAS BROKEN. SOME DAMAGE TO THE NAV LIGHT WAS EVIDENT BUT DUE TO THE HVY RAIN AND NEED TO CATCH A FERRY WE LEFT VERY SHORTLY AFTER LNDG. THE DAMAGE SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE NTSB DEFINITION OF 'NON SUBSTANTIAL' AND NO NTSB RPT IS CONTEMPLATED UNLESS INFO TO THE CONTRARY IS LEARNED.