C185 PLT MAKES OFF ARPT LNDG AFTER FUEL STARVATION. AFTER DETERMINING THAT FUEL CAP LEAKAGE IS TO BLAME; PLT ATTEMPTS TKOF WITH LARGE FUEL IMBAL AND HAS PROP STRIKE.

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I HAD DEPARTED ENRTE FOR ZZZ. I HAD FULL FUEL ON BOARD (0430 HRS). APPROX 1 HR 45 MINS INTO THE FLT; THE ENG QUIT. THE FUEL GAUGES SHOWED FUEL IN BOTH TANKS AND THE FUEL TOTALIZER STILL SHOWED APPROX 48 GALLONS LEFT. I TRIED ALL OF THE RESTART ITEMS IN THE POH. WHEN I HIT THE HIGH BOOST; THE PLANE RESTARTED FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN QUIT. I THEN CONTINUED MY DSCNT FOR LNDG. I LANDED WITH NO TROUBLES IN A FIELD. I CHKED THE PLANE OVER AND FOUND NO VISIBLE FUEL IN EITHER WING. I ALSO SAW SIGNS OF FUEL COMING FROM THE INBOARD CAP ON THE L SIDE AND NOTICED SOME FUEL STAINS ON THE TAIL. I WALKED UNTIL I FOUND SOMEONE TO GIVE ME A RIDE TO THE ARPT. I PICKED UP FUEL AND RETURNED TO THE PLANE. I PUT FUEL IN THE TANKS AND CONTINUED BACK TO THE ARPT TO FILL THE PLANE. I DID A COMPLETE PREFLT AND THEN DEPARTED. I DECIDED TO MONITOR THE FUEL AND RUN MOSTLY OFF OF THE R TANK AND ONLY PULL FROM THE L TANK IN CRUISE AND ON BOTH DURING TKOF AND LNDG. THE FLT WENT FINE. I DID APPEAR TO BE USING MORE FUEL FROM THE L TANK THAN THE R BUT WAS LNDG ON SHORT HOPS TO BE SURE I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL TO MAKE A DEST ON JUST THE R TANK. I VERIFIED THE FUEL USAGE WITH THE FUEL TOTALIZER. IN HINDSIGHT; I FEEL THAT I PROBABLY MADE A POOR DECISION TO CONTINUE FLT DUE TO A CHANCE OF NOT KNOWING FOR SURE WHERE THE FUEL WAS GOING AND ALSO RUNNING WITH 1 TANK FULLER THAN THE OTHER. HOWEVER; I DID REFER TO THE POH AND THIS PRACTICE IS NOT PROHIBITED. IN FACT; IT IS NOT ADDRESSED. PART OF MY HUMAN FACTORS WAS A PERCEIVED NEED TO HAVE MY LCL MECH LOOK AT THE PLANE. THE WX WAS GREAT VFR AND THE WINDS WERE LIGHT AND THE DAYS WERE LONG. IT WAS ALSO AN EVENING WITH WORK THE NEXT DAY. WHEN I DEPARTED ZZZ1 WITH R TANK FULL AND THE L TANK HAVING ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL; THE PLANE WAS HARD TO HANDLE AND; DUE TO THIS AND A XWIND COUPLED WITH AN UNKNOWN PROB AT THE TIME WITH A GEAR LEG THAT WAS LOOSE; I LOST DIRECTIONAL CTL OF THE PLANE AND TOOK A PROP STRIKE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT IS STILL UNDERGOING REPAIRS FOR DAMAGE THAT RESULTED FROM THE PROP STRIKE AND HAS NOT BEEN FLOWN SINCE. NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS WITH THE FUEL CAPS OR THEIR SEALS WERE DISCOVERED AND THE ACFT WILL NEED TO BE TEST FLOWN TO SEE IF THE PROB PERSISTS.