The 6-month stale complaint rule is an NTSB procedural rule appearing at 38 C.F.R. §821.33:
Where the complaint states allegations of offenses which occurred more than 6 months prior to the Administrator's advising the respondent as to reasons for proposed action under 49 U.S.C. 44709(c), the respondent may move to dismiss such allegations as stale pursuant to the following provisions:
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(a) In those cases where
the complaint does not allege lack of qualification of the respondent:
(1) The Administrator shall be required to show, by reply filed within 15 days after the date of service of the respondent's motion, that good cause existed for the delay in providing such advice, or that the imposition of a sanction is warranted in the public interest, notwithstanding the delay or the reasons therefor.
(2) If the Administrator does not establish good cause for the delay, or for the imposition of a sanction in the public interest notwithstanding the delay, the law judge shall dismiss the stale allegations and proceed to adjudicate the remaining portion of the complaint, if any.
(b) In those cases where the complaint alleges lack of qualification of the respondent, the law judge shall first determine whether an issue of lack of qualification would be presented if all of the allegations, stale and timely, are assumed to be true. If so, the law judge shall deny the respondent's motion. If not, the law judge shall proceed as in paragraph (a) of this section.
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Not the clearest thing in the world. The cases tend to focus on what is considered " good cause" for the delay and what is considered to be "lack of qualifications" But the way it's been applied generally is that if there was no good reason for the delay, certificate actions will generally go away 6 months after the incident is reported. IOW, you have an airspace incursion, talk to the FAA telephone number you are given, and 6 month go by without receiving a Notice of Proposed Certificate Action, you are probably home free.
But the twists in this hardly give the certainty of a true statute of limitations.