Narrative:

After takeoff we received the EICAS message 'rudder system 2 inop.' this message would disappear then return every couple of seconds. I told ATC that we needed to level off at 4;000 and that we would like a heading so we could work on an issue. I ran the QRH which lead us to turning off rudder system 2 and continuing the flight. The first officer and I came to an agreement and thought that it would be best to return to ZZZ and not fly all the way to [destination] since this system was written up a few days earlier. I sent maintenance a message via ACARS to get their input and they agreed with us to air return to ZZZ. I notified the flight attendant that we were returning to ZZZ in 15-20 minutes. Once I had the FMS set up to return to ZZZ; I noticed that we were going to be 2;000 lbs over landing weight. I told ATC we would need delayed vectors to help burn off some fuel. We lowered the gear and selected flaps 9; but ATC kept slowing us down; making it take longer to burn off fuel. I messaged dispatch to let them know of our overweight situation and they told us that we will be up there for a while to get under weight and that landing under 300 feet/minute would be okay. We decided that we will go ahead and land on [runway] xx since it was 10;000 feet long. The first officer landed on [runway] xx with a rate that appeared to be around 200 feet/minute at a weight of approximately 44.6. We taxied to [the] gate without any further issues.the threats in this flight were the 'rudder system 2 inop' message constantly coming on then off then back on during climb out; ATC [constantly] asking us what we wanted to do while we worked the QRH and communicating with maintenance; and then returning to ZZZ and ATC slowing us down which lead to an overweight landing. The one error I can see upon reflecting on this flight was we did not run the overweight landing QRH once we decided to return to ZZZ because dispatch told us what it said. I don't believe the aircraft was ever in an undesired state due to the fact we ran the QRH for the 'rudder system 2 inop' and the flight crew included maintenance and dispatch in their decision making. All partys' input resulted in this flight returning to ZZZ safely. I could have communicated better with ATC so that they would not have interrupted us as much as they did while we worked out our issue.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB-145 Captain reported a rudder system Number 2 intermittent EICAS message requiring a return to departure airport.

Narrative: After takeoff we received the EICAS message 'Rudder SYS 2 Inop.' This message would disappear then return every couple of seconds. I told ATC that we needed to level off at 4;000 and that we would like a heading so we could work on an issue. I ran the QRH which lead us to turning off Rudder SYS 2 and continuing the flight. The First Officer and I came to an agreement and thought that it would be best to return to ZZZ and not fly all the way to [destination] since this system was written up a few days earlier. I sent Maintenance a message via ACARS to get their input and they agreed with us to air return to ZZZ. I notified the Flight Attendant that we were returning to ZZZ in 15-20 minutes. Once I had the FMS set up to return to ZZZ; I noticed that we were going to be 2;000 lbs over landing weight. I told ATC we would need delayed vectors to help burn off some fuel. We lowered the gear and selected flaps 9; but ATC kept slowing us down; making it take longer to burn off fuel. I messaged Dispatch to let them know of our overweight situation and they told us that we will be up there for a while to get under weight and that landing under 300 feet/minute would be okay. We decided that we will go ahead and land on [Runway] XX since it was 10;000 feet long. The First Officer landed on [Runway] XX with a rate that appeared to be around 200 feet/minute at a weight of approximately 44.6. We taxied to [the] gate without any further issues.The threats in this flight were the 'Rudder SYS 2 Inop' message constantly coming on then off then back on during climb out; ATC [constantly] asking us what we wanted to do while we worked the QRH and communicating with Maintenance; and then returning to ZZZ and ATC slowing us down which lead to an overweight landing. The one error I can see upon reflecting on this flight was we did not run the overweight landing QRH once we decided to return to ZZZ because Dispatch told us what it said. I don't believe the aircraft was ever in an undesired state due to the fact we ran the QRH for the 'Rudder SYS 2 Inop' and the flight crew included Maintenance and Dispatch in their decision making. All partys' input resulted in this flight returning to ZZZ safely. I could have communicated better with ATC so that they would not have interrupted us as much as they did while we worked out our issue.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.