A DORNIER 328 ON TAXI IN HAD EICAS MESSAGE 'RUDDER LIMITED' SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN UNLIMITED POS. CAUSED BY FALSE WARNING.

Narrative

AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL FLT; WHILE TAXIING TO THE GATE I NOTICED ON THE FLT CTLS SYS PAGE THAT THE RUDDER WAS IN THE 'LIMITED' POS. BELIEVING THAT IT SHOULD BE UNLIMITED AT THAT TIME; I PUSHED THE 'UNLIMIT' BUTTON. THE CAPTION ON THE FLT CTLS SYS PAGE TURNED TO 'NOT LIMITED' AND THE BLUE STATUS MESSAGE 'RUDDER MAN UNLIMIT' APPEARED ON THE EICAS; AS I PUSHED THE BUTTON AGAIN A FEW SECONDS LATER. THE STATUS MESSAGE EXTINGUISHED. AT NO TIME DURING FLT OR ON THE GND DID WE RECEIVE ANY WARNINGS OR INDICATIONS THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT ANY FLT CTL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED ON TAXI IN THE EICAS DISPLAYED A 'RUDDER LIMITED' WARNING AND SHOULD HAVE DISPLAYED A RUDDER UNLIMITED INDICATION. THE RPTR SAID THE WARNING WAS WRITTEN UP AND THE AIRPLANE TAKEN OTS AND LATER RETURNED TO SVC WITH A SIGN-OFF INDICATING THE SYS GND CHKED OK. THE RPTR STATED THE NEXT FLC WAS ON TKOF WHEN THE EICAS WARNING AGAIN WAS DISPLAYED AND THE OPERATING MANUAL REQUIRED IMMEDIATE RETURN. THE RPTR SAID MAINT FOUND A BARE WIRE RUBBING TO GND ON THE RUDDER ACTUATOR CONNECTOR GIVING THE WARNING. THE RPTR STATED THE WIRING WAS REPAIRED AND THE RUDDER ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED PRECAUTIONARY.