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In April 2013, Arqueonautas Worldwide (AWW) carried out an archaeological survey expedition at Ammersee Lake in Bavaria, Germany, aimed at locating a Dornier Do 335 Pfeil aircraft that historical documents and eye witness reports have consistently placed at this Bavarian lake. The Do 335 Pfeil was an innovative twin engine heavy fighter developed by Dornier at the end of WWII. Only 37 were built and only one Do 335 survives today, which can be seen at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, USA.

The survey expedition used sidescan sonar and a drop down camera (ROV, remote operated vehicle) to try to find the resting place of the Do 335. Several potential targets, such as the wing of a Messerschmitt airplane, were located but none proved to be that of the elusive aircraft and the Do 335 was not found during this expedition.

Nevertheless, this expedition allowed AWW to get acquainted with the field of aviation archaeology, experience the very different setup of an archaeological mission in a European country and learn more about the archaeological potential of the Bavarian lakes, which have thousands of years of human presence on their shores.