Dieter Dengler (May 22, 1938 – February 7, 2001) was a German-born United States Navy Naval aviator and pilot during the Vietnam War (and later a private aircraft test pilot and commercial airline pilot). He was one of two survivors (the other being Pisidhi Indradat), out of seven prisoners of war (POW)s, to escape from a Pathet Lao prison camp in Laos. He was rescued after 23 days on the run, and was the first captured U.S. airman to escape enemy captivity during the Vietnam war, after six months of torture and imprisonment.