20200308021469I

On March 8, 2020 a 1941 J5A Piper cub N38405 serial number 5-596 en route from greenville Maine to Limington-Harmon Airport (63B) Limington Maine landed at approximately 1600. The airport manager discovered the aircraft on March 10, 2020 parked in one of the airport's shelters with the propeller removed and damage to the bottom left side of the engine cowl. Not recognizing the aircraft or being notified of what happened, he reported it to the regional operations center (roc) approximately 1700 on March 10, 2020. I received a call from the roc at 17:20 and was told they had an unusual call from the airport manager in Limington Maine. During my conversation with the roc they asked if I wanted to speak with the airport manager, I said yes and a three way conversation ensued. I made arrangements to meet with the airport manager the following day March 11, 2020 at 1100. Upon arriving we located the aircraft and took pictures. There was a sizable stain on the ground under the aircraft's engine. Upon closer inspection, a fuel leak was discovered. The airport manager thought an aircraft could possibly have hit the runway's snow bank. We walked out to the runway and checked the snow bank that was approximately six feet off the edge of the runway. We could see tire tracks in the ground where an aircraft had veered 45 degree's right making an impression. Pictures were taken.

I asked the airport manager if he would document his concerns with a written statement. Upon returning to portland Maine FSDO, I called the pilot who was the owner of the aircraft. He explained what he thought had happened upon landing on runway 29. He stated he made a good landing but while taxiing and slowing down to approximately ten miles per hour (mph), his engine suddenly stopped as it had been doing all week. He attributed the engine stalling to cold weather. He stated when the engine stalled, it went 90 degrees right into the snow bank. He thought the aircraft made the 90 degree turn because the tail wheel struck something or got caught in a runway crack. There were no visible signs of runway cracks prior to impacting the snow bank. I asked if he was concerned about the aircraft stalling each time he landed, and if he thought his fuel mixture or carburetor ice was responsible for the stalls. No explanation on the aircraft stalling, except cold weather. I asked how many hours were on the engine. He said it had just been overhauled and only had about 11 hours. When asked about the fuel stain on the ground under the aircraft, he said the engine gascolator might have come loose when he hit the snow bank and that's why fuel was leaking. He also stated that he forgot to turn the fuel off, and he ordered a new gasket for the gascolator. He stated that when the aircraft hit the snow bank the tail wheel came up and forcibly struck the runway when it came back down.

With his aircraft still in the snow bank and the possibility of more aircraft coming in to land, he said "some nice guy" told him he could put his aircraft in one of the airport shelters and the nice guy would notify the airport manager. The airport manager was never notified. The aircraft was pushed onto the runway, and then pushed to a taxiway. The pilot started he taxied the aircraft from the runway to the shelter. There is some question as to the veracity of this statement. I was told by another pilot present at the time of the incident that the aircraft was actually pushed down the runway and onto a taxi way with his assistance and then moved to the shelter. On March 12, 2020 I emailed the pilot that I hadn't checked inside the aircraft for the airworthiness certificate or the aircraft registration, and could he tell me if it was still in the aircraft. I also asked him to write a statement as to the cause of the damage to his aircraft. When asked questions the pilot was always vague and uncooperative. The pilot possibly violated 49 CFR part 830, 830.5(a)and 830.10, 14 CFR 43, 43.3 and 43.9(