diff --git a/src/backend/executor/execExprInterp.c b/src/backend/executor/execExprInterp.c
index 982d16c6c8..4fbb5c1e74 100644
--- a/src/backend/executor/execExprInterp.c
+++ b/src/backend/executor/execExprInterp.c
@@ -1516,22 +1516,20 @@ CheckVarSlotCompatibility(TupleTableSlot *slot, int attnum, Oid vartype)
 {
 	/*
 	 * What we have to check for here is the possibility of an attribute
-	 * having been changed in type since the plan tree was created.  Ideally
-	 * the plan will get invalidated and not re-used, but just in case, we
-	 * keep these defenses.  Fortunately it's sufficient to check once on the
-	 * first time through.
-	 *
-	 * System attributes don't require checking since their types never
-	 * change.
-	 *
-	 * Note: we allow a reference to a dropped attribute.  slot_getattr will
-	 * force a NULL result in such cases.
+	 * having been dropped or changed in type since the plan tree was created.
+	 * Ideally the plan will get invalidated and not re-used, but just in
+	 * case, we keep these defenses.  Fortunately it's sufficient to check
+	 * once on the first time through.
 	 *
 	 * Note: ideally we'd check typmod as well as typid, but that seems
 	 * impractical at the moment: in many cases the tupdesc will have been
 	 * generated by ExecTypeFromTL(), and that can't guarantee to generate an
 	 * accurate typmod in all cases, because some expression node types don't
-	 * carry typmod.
+	 * carry typmod.  Fortunately, for precisely that reason, there should be
+	 * no places with a critical dependency on the typmod of a value.
+	 *
+	 * System attributes don't require checking since their types never
+	 * change.
 	 */
 	if (attnum > 0)
 	{
@@ -1544,17 +1542,20 @@ CheckVarSlotCompatibility(TupleTableSlot *slot, int attnum, Oid vartype)
 
 		attr = slot_tupdesc->attrs[attnum - 1];
 
-		/* can't check type if dropped, since atttypid is probably 0 */
-		if (!attr->attisdropped)
-		{
-			if (vartype != attr->atttypid)
-				ereport(ERROR,
-						(errcode(ERRCODE_DATATYPE_MISMATCH),
-						 errmsg("attribute %d has wrong type", attnum),
-						 errdetail("Table has type %s, but query expects %s.",
-								   format_type_be(attr->atttypid),
-								   format_type_be(vartype))));
-		}
+		if (attr->attisdropped)
+			ereport(ERROR,
+					(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_COLUMN),
+					 errmsg("attribute %d of type %s has been dropped",
+							attnum, format_type_be(slot_tupdesc->tdtypeid))));
+
+		if (vartype != attr->atttypid)
+			ereport(ERROR,
+					(errcode(ERRCODE_DATATYPE_MISMATCH),
+					 errmsg("attribute %d of type %s has wrong type",
+							attnum, format_type_be(slot_tupdesc->tdtypeid)),
+					 errdetail("Table has type %s, but query expects %s.",
+							   format_type_be(attr->atttypid),
+							   format_type_be(vartype))));
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/create_view.out b/src/test/regress/expected/create_view.out
index ce0c8cedf8..c719262720 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/create_view.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/create_view.out
@@ -1396,10 +1396,10 @@ select pg_get_viewdef('vv6', true);
 (1 row)
 
 --
--- Check some cases involving dropped columns in a function's rowtype result
+-- Check cases involving dropped/altered columns in a function's rowtype result
 --
 create table tt14t (f1 text, f2 text, f3 text, f4 text);
-insert into tt14t values('foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'quux');
+insert into tt14t values('foo', 'bar', 'baz', '42');
 alter table tt14t drop column f2;
 create function tt14f() returns setof tt14t as
 $$
@@ -1424,14 +1424,15 @@ select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
 (1 row)
 
 select * from tt14v;
- f1  | f3  |  f4  
------+-----+------
- foo | baz | quux
+ f1  | f3  | f4 
+-----+-----+----
+ foo | baz | 42
 (1 row)
 
+begin;
 -- this perhaps should be rejected, but it isn't:
 alter table tt14t drop column f3;
--- f3 is still in the view but will read as nulls
+-- f3 is still in the view ...
 select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
          pg_get_viewdef         
 --------------------------------
@@ -1441,12 +1442,40 @@ select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
     FROM tt14f() t(f1, f3, f4);
 (1 row)
 
-select * from tt14v;
- f1  | f3 |  f4  
------+----+------
- foo |    | quux
+-- but will fail at execution
+select f1, f4 from tt14v;
+ f1  | f4 
+-----+----
+ foo | 42
 (1 row)
 
+select * from tt14v;
+ERROR:  attribute 3 of type record has been dropped
+rollback;
+begin;
+-- this perhaps should be rejected, but it isn't:
+alter table tt14t alter column f4 type integer using f4::integer;
+-- f4 is still in the view ...
+select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
+         pg_get_viewdef         
+--------------------------------
+  SELECT t.f1,                 +
+     t.f3,                     +
+     t.f4                      +
+    FROM tt14f() t(f1, f3, f4);
+(1 row)
+
+-- but will fail at execution
+select f1, f3 from tt14v;
+ f1  | f3  
+-----+-----
+ foo | baz
+(1 row)
+
+select * from tt14v;
+ERROR:  attribute 4 of type record has wrong type
+DETAIL:  Table has type integer, but query expects text.
+rollback;
 -- check display of whole-row variables in some corner cases
 create type nestedcomposite as (x int8_tbl);
 create view tt15v as select row(i)::nestedcomposite from int8_tbl i;
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/rangefuncs.out b/src/test/regress/expected/rangefuncs.out
index 526a4aed0a..4b6170dea5 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/rangefuncs.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/rangefuncs.out
@@ -1909,25 +1909,22 @@ select * from usersview;
  id2    |   2 | email2 |       12 | t       |              11 |          2
 (2 rows)
 
-alter table users drop column moredrop;
-select * from usersview;
- userid | seq | email  | moredrop | enabled | generate_series | ordinality 
---------+-----+--------+----------+---------+-----------------+------------
- id     |   1 | email  |          | t       |              10 |          1
- id2    |   2 | email2 |          | t       |              11 |          2
-(2 rows)
-
 alter table users add column junk text;
 select * from usersview;
  userid | seq | email  | moredrop | enabled | generate_series | ordinality 
 --------+-----+--------+----------+---------+-----------------+------------
- id     |   1 | email  |          | t       |              10 |          1
- id2    |   2 | email2 |          | t       |              11 |          2
+ id     |   1 | email  |       11 | t       |              10 |          1
+ id2    |   2 | email2 |       12 | t       |              11 |          2
 (2 rows)
 
+begin;
+alter table users drop column moredrop;
+select * from usersview;  -- expect clean failure
+ERROR:  attribute 5 of type record has been dropped
+rollback;
 alter table users alter column seq type numeric;
 select * from usersview;  -- expect clean failure
-ERROR:  attribute 2 has wrong type
+ERROR:  attribute 2 of type record has wrong type
 DETAIL:  Table has type numeric, but query expects integer.
 drop view usersview;
 drop function get_first_user();
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/create_view.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/create_view.sql
index c27f1034e1..d6f50d6105 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/create_view.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/create_view.sql
@@ -457,11 +457,11 @@ alter table tt11 add column z int;
 select pg_get_viewdef('vv6', true);
 
 --
--- Check some cases involving dropped columns in a function's rowtype result
+-- Check cases involving dropped/altered columns in a function's rowtype result
 --
 
 create table tt14t (f1 text, f2 text, f3 text, f4 text);
-insert into tt14t values('foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'quux');
+insert into tt14t values('foo', 'bar', 'baz', '42');
 
 alter table tt14t drop column f2;
 
@@ -483,13 +483,32 @@ create view tt14v as select t.* from tt14f() t;
 select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
 select * from tt14v;
 
+begin;
+
 -- this perhaps should be rejected, but it isn't:
 alter table tt14t drop column f3;
 
--- f3 is still in the view but will read as nulls
+-- f3 is still in the view ...
 select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
+-- but will fail at execution
+select f1, f4 from tt14v;
 select * from tt14v;
 
+rollback;
+
+begin;
+
+-- this perhaps should be rejected, but it isn't:
+alter table tt14t alter column f4 type integer using f4::integer;
+
+-- f4 is still in the view ...
+select pg_get_viewdef('tt14v', true);
+-- but will fail at execution
+select f1, f3 from tt14v;
+select * from tt14v;
+
+rollback;
+
 -- check display of whole-row variables in some corner cases
 
 create type nestedcomposite as (x int8_tbl);
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/rangefuncs.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/rangefuncs.sql
index 09ac8fbdb4..4ed84b1f2b 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/rangefuncs.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/rangefuncs.sql
@@ -555,11 +555,13 @@ SELECT * FROM ROWS FROM(get_users(), generate_series(10,11)) WITH ORDINALITY;
 create temp view usersview as
 SELECT * FROM ROWS FROM(get_users(), generate_series(10,11)) WITH ORDINALITY;
 
-select * from usersview;
-alter table users drop column moredrop;
 select * from usersview;
 alter table users add column junk text;
 select * from usersview;
+begin;
+alter table users drop column moredrop;
+select * from usersview;  -- expect clean failure
+rollback;
 alter table users alter column seq type numeric;
 select * from usersview;  -- expect clean failure