diff --git a/src/bin/psql/copy.c b/src/bin/psql/copy.c
index 01fe0f6c84..5b91df26b4 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/copy.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/copy.c
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 2000-2009, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  *
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/bin/psql/copy.c,v 1.81 2009/07/25 17:04:19 tgl Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/bin/psql/copy.c,v 1.82 2009/08/07 20:16:11 tgl Exp $
  */
 #include "postgres_fe.h"
 #include "copy.h"
@@ -571,6 +571,9 @@ do_copy(const char *args)
 		success = false;
 		psql_error("\\copy: unexpected response (%d)\n",
 				   PQresultStatus(result));
+		/* if still in COPY IN state, try to get out of it */
+		if (PQresultStatus(result) == PGRES_COPY_IN)
+			PQputCopyEnd(pset.db, _("trying to exit copy mode"));
 		PQclear(result);
 	}