SECTION 55-1-50. Landing or taking off on public highways.

It is unlawful for a person to land or cause to be landed any aircraft on or take off from a public highway in this State except in situations authorized by an authorized employee of the division, by law enforcement, or in an emergency or cautionary situation in which the safety of the aircraft is involved. In a prosecution for violation of this section, the burden of proving that the emergency or cautionary situation existed shall be upon the person landing the aircraft on the highway or causing it to take off from it. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than sixty days. Effect of Amendment The 1993 amendment made grammatical changes and substituted "deputy director of the division" for "Director of the State Aeronautics Commission". The 2012 amendment, in the first paragraph, substituted "an authorized employee of the division, by law enforcement," for "the deputy director of the division", and inserted "or cautionary" following "emergency" throughout; in the second paragraph, substituted "two thousand" for "five hundred"; and, made other, nonsubstantive, changes.