A DHC-6 PILOT FOUND HIS CONTROL COLUMN MOVEMENT WAS RESTRICTED BY THE MAINTENANCE 'CAN' THAT WAS STORED NEAR THE COLUMN.

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EACH ACFT HAS A 'CAN' TO MAINTAIN CURRENT INFO AND IS A HARD METAL CONSTRUCTION TO CONTAIN ACFT TRIP TIMES AND TRENDS. IT MEASURES 12 5/8 INCHES TALL AND 9 INCHES WIDE; IT IS PLACED IN BTWN THE PLTS WHEN NOT IN USE. WHILE IN FLARE AT 1G4 RWY 17; THE 'CAN' HAD MOVED SO IT WAS JUST UNDER THE FLASHLIGHT HOLDER (WHICH MEASURES 12 1/2 INCHES OFF THE FLOOR IN THE CABIN) ON THE YOKE COLUMN CAUSING THE CTL TO BE RIGID IN THE BACK MOVEMENT OF THE YOKE. IN FEAR OF A CTL FAILURE IN THE FLARE; I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND THE ACFT WHEN I STILL HAD SOME CTL OF IT AND THE LNDG APPEARED TO BE SAFE TO DO FROM 5 FT FROM THE GND. IF IN THE CASE THAT A GAR WAS EXECUTED; THE ACFT WOULD HAVE NOT HAD THE PITCH UP MOVEMENT NEEDED TO DO IT CORRECTLY AND SAFELY. THE 'CAN' WAS APPROX 5 INCHES FROM THE BASE OF THE YOKE COLUMN CREATING A CLASSIC RIGID FORM. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN I FOUND THAT THE 'CAN' HAD PREVENTED ME FROM FURTHER MOVING THE YOKE BACK IN THE FLARE. THE LNDG WAS DONE SAFELY; BUT IF IT HAD BEEN JUST AN INCH OR TWO FORWARD OR AFT OF WHERE IT WAS; THEN THE LNDG WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH DIFFERENT. AFTER ACFT SHUT DOWN THE INSPECTION OF THE 'CAN' SHOWED DAMAGE AND WAS MANGLED BY THE FORCE I APPLIED IN THE LNDG FLARE. IN THE PAST; I HAVE MADE IT CLR TO MY FO'S TO KNOW TO PLACE THE 'CAN' IN A PLACE THAT THIS WOULD NOT OCCUR. THIS WAS MY FAILURE TO CHK ITS SAFE POS. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE TO HAVE THE FLASHLIGHT HOLDERS REMOVED IF THEY ARE NOT IN USE AND THE POLICING OF THE HARD MATERIAL BE STRICTLY OVERSEEN IN THE CTR CABIN.