Incident Overview
A student pilot was conducting the final leg of a solo cross-country flight. Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 50 feet above the runway, the engine RPM smoothly and unexpectedly decreased to an estimated 1700 RPM, described by the pilot as feeling 'as if the throttle was being pulled back.' The pilot responded by advancing and retarding the throttle multiple times, but the engine maintained a constant speed of 1700 RPM.
Emergency Actions
Unable to restore engine power, the pilot pulled the mixture control to the cutoff position and executed an emergency landing in a nearby field. The landing was completed without further incident.
Examination Findings
A post-incident examination of the airplane revealed that the throttle linkage had become disconnected from the throttle. The linkage was reconnected, and the engine was started and run. During the ground test, the throttle linkage disconnected again, causing the engine RPM to drop to 1500 RPM, confirming the issue.
Maintenance History
The aircraft's last annual inspection was performed on April 21, 2000, and the airplane had accumulated 79 flight hours since that inspection.