William C . McCool William Cameron " Willie " McCool ( September 23 , 1961 – February 1 , 2003 ) was a United States Navy Commander , NASA astronaut and the pilot of Space Shuttle " Columbia " mission STS - 107 . He was killed , along with all others , when their spacecraft disintegrated during re - entry into the Earth ' s atmosphere . He was the youngest male member of the crew . Personal data . McCool was born September 23 , 1961 , in San Diego , California , and died on February 1 , 2003 , over the southern United States when Space Shuttle " Columbia " broke up during re - entry , 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing . He was survived by his wife and children . He enjoyed running , mountain biking , back country hiking / camping , swimming , playing guitar , and chess , and had a home in Anacortes , Washington , at the time of his death . His favorite song was " Imagine " by John Lennon , which was played during the space mission . His favorite band was Radiohead , and the song " Fake Plastic Trees " was played by mission control as a wake - up call . McCool is buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery . Experience . McCool completed flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1986 . He was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 ( VAQ - 129 ) at NAS Whidbey Island , Washington , for initial EA - 6B Prowler training . His first operational tour was with Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 133 ( VAQ - 133 ) , where he made two deployments aboard the USS " Coral Sea " to the Mediterranean Sea , and received designation as a wing - qualified Landing Signal Officer ( LSO ) . In November 1989 , he was selected for the Naval Postgraduate School / Test Pilot School ( TPS ) Cooperative Education Program . After graduating from TPS in June 1992 , he worked as a TA - 4J and EA - 6B test pilot in Flight Systems Department of Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at NAS Patuxent River , Maryland . He was responsible for the management and conduct of a wide variety of projects , ranging from airframe fatigue life studies to numerous avionics upgrades . His primary efforts , however , were dedicated to flight test of the Advanced Capability ( ADVCAP ) EA - 6B . Following his Patuxent River tour , McCool returned to Whidbey Island , and was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 ( VAQ - 132 ) aboard the . He served as Administrative and Operations Officer with the squadron through their work - up cycle , receiving notice of his NASA selection while embarked on " Enterprise " for her final pre - deployment at sea period . McCool accumulated over 2 , 800 hours flight experience in 24 aircraft and over 400 carrier arrestments . NASA experience . Selected by NASA in April 1996 , McCool reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 . He completed two years of training and evaluation , and was qualified for flight assignment as a pilot . Initially assigned to the Computer Support Branch , McCool also served as Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations , and worked Shuttle cockpit upgrade issues for the Astronaut Office . He was the pilot on STS - 107 , logging 15 days , 22 hours and 20 minutes in space . Space flight experience . STS - 107 " Columbia " ( January 16 to February 1 , 2003 ) . The 16 - day flight was a dedicated science and research mission . Working 24 hours a day , in two alternating shifts , the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments . The STS - 107 mission ended abruptly on February 1 , 2003 , when " Columbia " and her crew perished during re - entry , 16 minutes before scheduled landing . Awards . Posthumously awarded :