AN EMB145 IN CLB AT FL280 GOT EICAS MESSAGE 'RUDDER SYS 1-2 INOP.' RESET WAS MADE PER QRH. HANDBOOK HAD NOTE NOT TO RESET RUDDER IF AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. CREW HAS NO INDICATION OF WHAT IS AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF.

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CLBING OUT OF FL280; I GOT EICAS MESSAGE 'RUDDER SYS 1-2 INOP.' I RAN THE QRH PROC. THE RESET PROC WAS ACCOMPLISHED PER THE QRH. THE CHKLIST FOR RUDDER SYS 1-2 INOP HAS A COMPLETE PROC FOR RESETTING THE RUDDER SYS. AFTER THAT PROC IS A CAUTION MESSAGE THAT SAYS NOT TO TURN ON THE RUDDER SYS IF THEY HAVE BEEN AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. THE ONLY AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF I KNOW OF IS THE HARD-OVER PROTECTION. AND THE REDUCTION TO ONE SYS WHICH IS SPD RELATED. THIS OCCURRENCE DID NOT SEEM TO BE AN AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF; BUT A SYS FAILURE ENRTE. I ELECTED TO RESET THE SYS AND CONTINUE ON TO ZZZ WHERE I WROTE UP THE INCIDENT IN THE ACFT LOG; ADVISED DISPATCH AND MAINT AS WELL AS THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT. I FILED AN INCIDENT RPT CITING THE REQUIRED RPTING REGARDING AN INFLT CTL SYS MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE PER FAR 121.703.A.12. I FILED THIS RPT BECAUSE OF THE NOTE IN THE QRH WHICH IS VAGUE. I HAVE NO INDICATION OF AN AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF OF THE SYS. IF THE SYS ARE AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF; WHAT INDICATION WILL I HAVE AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CAUTION STATEMENT IN THE QRH? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: WHEN THE EICAS MESSAGE 'RUDDER SYS 1-2 INOP' APPEARED; THE RUDDERS; YAW DAMPER AND AUTOPLT ALL FAILED. THE RPTR INDICATED THAT USING THE QRH; THE RUDDER SYS WERE RESET AND OPS WERE NORMAL ON ALL SYS. THE CAPT STATED THAT WHAT WAS DISTURBING WAS A VAGUE CAUTION NOTE IN THE HANDBOOK THAT STATED 'DO NOT TURN ON THE RUDDER SYS IF THEY HAVE BEEN AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF.' THE CREW REPORTEDLY KNEW OF ONLY 2 AUTOMATIC SHUTOFFS -- ONE A HARD-OVER PROTECTION; AND THE SECOND A REDUCTION OF ONE SYS WHICH IS SPD RELATED. REPORTEDLY; THE PROB IS; HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE AN AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF AND WHAT IS THE WARNING INDICATION? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CAUTION NOTE? THE RPTR CLAIMS MAINT HAS NOT RPTED TO THE CREW ON MAINT ACTION TAKEN OR FINDINGS REGARDING THIS INCIDENT.