diff --git a/include/ntfs-3g/index.h b/include/ntfs-3g/index.h
index c0e76180..036b742f 100644
--- a/include/ntfs-3g/index.h
+++ b/include/ntfs-3g/index.h
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ typedef struct {
 	VCN parent_vcn[MAX_PARENT_VCN]; /* entry's parent nodes */
 	int pindex;	     /* maximum it's the number of the parent nodes  */
 	BOOL ib_dirty;
+	BOOL bad_index;
 	u32 block_size;
 	u8 vcn_size_bits;
 } ntfs_index_context;
diff --git a/libntfs-3g/index.c b/libntfs-3g/index.c
index 3f7a59e8..58568ded 100644
--- a/libntfs-3g/index.c
+++ b/libntfs-3g/index.c
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ static void ntfs_index_ctx_free(ntfs_index_context *icx)
 {
 	ntfs_log_trace("Entering\n");
 	
-	if (!icx->entry)
+	if (!icx->bad_index && !icx->entry)
 		return;
 
 	if (icx->actx)
@@ -719,7 +719,7 @@ int ntfs_index_lookup(const void *key, const int key_len, ntfs_index_context *ic
 	ret = ntfs_ie_lookup(key, key_len, icx, &ir->index, &vcn, &ie);
 	if (ret == STATUS_ERROR) {
 		err = errno;
-		goto err_out;
+		goto err_lookup;
 	}
 	
 	icx->ir = ir;
@@ -780,6 +780,8 @@ descend_into_child_node:
 	
 	goto descend_into_child_node;
 err_out:
+	icx->bad_index = TRUE;	/* Force icx->* to be freed */
+err_lookup:
 	free(ib);
 	if (!err)
 		err = EIO;