When your water heater pilot light extinguishes the moment you release the control button, it is almost always caused by a faulty, soot-covered, or misaligned thermocouple that fails to generate enough millivolt electricity to keep the gas safety valve open. When you press the button down manually, you physically force the gas valve open; however, once released, the safety magnet relies on the thermocouple's electrical signal to stay open. If the pilot flame does not heat the thermocouple tip sufficiently, the valve instantly snaps shut. Verification: Check the thermocouple millivolt output with a multimeter or clean the tip with fine sandpaper to ensure stable signal generation.
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