EMB135 CAPT REPORTS REQUEST BY MAINTENANCE TO TURN OVER ACFT TO THEM WITHOUT SHUTTING DOWN #2 ENGINE.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED IN AN ACFT WITH A DEFERRED APU. WHEN I CALLED IN RANGE; OPS TOLD ME THAT A GPU WAS UNAVAILABLE AND THAT MAINT HAD ASKED FOR ME TO LEAVE THE #2 ENG RUNNING WHILE THE PAX DEPLANED; ALLOWING MAINT TO TAKE THE ACFT TO THE HANGAR. I THEN TOLD OPS THAT WE COULD ALLOW THE PAX TO DEPLANE WITH THE #1 ENG SHUT DOWN; BUT I COULD NOT ALLOW THE RAMP CREW TO UNLOAD BAGS UNTIL BOTH ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN (PER THE FOM). MY POS CONFUSED THE OPS AGENT; WHO THOUGHT IT WAS ACCEPTABLE TO SHUT DOWN #1 AND STILL SVC THE ACFT. BEING ONLY MINS FROM OUR FINAL DSCNT; I TOLD THE OPS AGENT THAT WE WOULD NEED A GPU OR THE ACFT WOULD BE POWERED DOWN COMPLETELY AFTER THE PAX WERE DEPLANED. THE OPS AGENT SAID HE WOULD CALL MAINT AND TALK TO US ON THE GND. AFTER LNDG; THE FO CALLED ON THE GND AND ASKED IF A GPU WAS AVAILABLE; TO WHICH THE OPS AGENT REPLIED IN THE NEGATIVE; A BRIEF REPEAT OF THE CONVERSATION DURING THE IN-RANGE CALL TOOK PLACE. AFTER REACHING THE GATE; I OBSERVED A RAMP CREW; SEVERAL OF OUR MAINT TECHNICIANS; AND AT LEAST 1 GPU AIR CART. AFTER SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE; THE #1 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN TO ALLOW THE PAX TO DEPLANE. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE RAMP CREW OPENED THE BAGGAGE DOOR. I THEN OPENED MY DV WINDOW AND TOLD THE RAMP CREW AND MAINT TO NOT UNLOAD ANY BAGS. A MAINT TECHNICIAN THEN CAME ONTO THE ACFT TO TELL ME THAT NO BAGS WERE BEING UNLOADED AND HE WANTED ME TO LEAVE THE #2 ENG GOING SO THEY COULD 'TAKE OVER' THE ACFT AND TAKE IT TO THE HANGAR. I TOLD THE MAINT TECHNICIAN THAT I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO; NOR COMFORTABLE 'HANDING OVER' THE AIRPLANE WITH AN ENG STILL TURNING. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT HE WAS UNAWARE OF ANY RULE PROHIBITING THIS. I INFORMED HIM THAT IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO SHUT DOWN THE #2 ENG SO THE BAGS COULD BE OFFLOADED FROM THE ACFT. HIS RESPONSE WAS 'THE BAGS ARE GONE; MAN.' NO LONGER BEING COMFORTABLE WITH THE ACCURACY OF WHAT I WAS BEING TOLD; I MADE THE DECISION TO SHUT DOWN THE RUNNING #2 ENG AND PERFORM THE 'SHUTDOWN CHK' AND 'TERMINATING CHK.' I THEN TURNED OVER RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACFT TO MAINT. WITHIN 5 MINS OF SHUTTING DOWN THE #2 ENG; THE RAMP CREW HAD PROCURED A GPU AND AIR CART AND HAD BOTH CONNECTED TO THE ACFT. WITHIN 10-15 MINS OF SHUTDOWN; MAINT HAD STARTED AN ENG AND BEGAN TO PUSH BACK WITH THE RAMP CREW'S ASSISTANCE. WHILE I AM UNABLE TO QUOTE CHAPTER AND PAGE; I AM ALMOST POSITIVE THAT OUR FOM PROHIBITS THE 'TURNING OVER' OF AN ACFT WITH AN ENG STILL OPERATING. REGARDLESS; I AM CERTAINLY NOT COMFORTABLE PASSING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACFT TO ANYONE UNTIL I HAVE ASSURED THE FLT HAS BEEN PROPERLY TERMINATED. THE GOAL OF THIS RPT IS NOT TO ATTRACT ATTN TO THE ACTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS (OR TO SEEK ANY SORT OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION; FOR THAT MATTER). BUT RATHER TO SEEK CLARIFICATION AS TO WHAT OUR POLICIES ALLOW US TO DO WHEN 'TURNING' AN ACFT WITH AN ENG STILL OPERATING AND CLEARLY DISSEMINATE THESE POLICIES TO ALL AFFECTED PARTIES (PLTS; RAMP; AND MAINT).