diff --git a/lib/_stream_readable.js b/lib/_stream_readable.js
index f35599f455..368c923b63 100755
--- a/lib/_stream_readable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_readable.js
@@ -511,14 +511,22 @@ Readable.prototype.pipe = function(dest, pipeOpts) {
 
   // if the dest has an error, then stop piping into it.
   // however, don't suppress the throwing behavior for this.
-  // check for listeners before emit removes one-time listeners.
-  var errListeners = EE.listenerCount(dest, 'error');
   function onerror(er) {
     unpipe();
-    if (errListeners === 0 && EE.listenerCount(dest, 'error') === 0)
+    dest.removeListener('error', onerror);
+    if (EE.listenerCount(dest, 'error') === 0)
       dest.emit('error', er);
   }
-  dest.once('error', onerror);
+  // This is a brutally ugly hack to make sure that our error handler
+  // is attached before any userland ones.  NEVER DO THIS.
+  if (!dest._events.error)
+    dest.on('error', onerror);
+  else if (Array.isArray(dest._events.error))
+    dest._events.error.unshift(onerror);
+  else
+    dest._events.error = [onerror, dest._events.error];
+
+
 
   // Both close and finish should trigger unpipe, but only once.
   function onclose() {
diff --git a/test/simple/test-stream-pipe-error-handling.js b/test/simple/test-stream-pipe-error-handling.js
index df81573daa..c5d724b782 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-stream-pipe-error-handling.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-stream-pipe-error-handling.js
@@ -56,3 +56,76 @@ var Stream = require('stream').Stream;
 
   assert.strictEqual(gotErr, err);
 })();
+
+(function testErrorWithRemovedListenerThrows() {
+  var EE = require('events').EventEmitter;
+  var R = Stream.Readable;
+  var W = Stream.Writable;
+
+  var r = new R;
+  var w = new W;
+  var removed = false;
+  var didTest = false;
+
+  process.on('exit', function() {
+    assert(didTest);
+    console.log('ok');
+  });
+
+  r._read = function() {
+    setTimeout(function() {
+      assert(removed);
+      assert.throws(function() {
+        w.emit('error', new Error('fail'));
+      });
+      didTest = true;
+    });
+  };
+
+  w.on('error', myOnError);
+  r.pipe(w);
+  w.removeListener('error', myOnError);
+  removed = true;
+
+  function myOnError(er) {
+    throw new Error('this should not happen');
+  }
+})();
+
+(function testErrorWithRemovedListenerThrows() {
+  var EE = require('events').EventEmitter;
+  var R = Stream.Readable;
+  var W = Stream.Writable;
+
+  var r = new R;
+  var w = new W;
+  var removed = false;
+  var didTest = false;
+  var caught = false;
+
+  process.on('exit', function() {
+    assert(didTest);
+    console.log('ok');
+  });
+
+  r._read = function() {
+    setTimeout(function() {
+      assert(removed);
+      w.emit('error', new Error('fail'));
+      didTest = true;
+    });
+  };
+
+  w.on('error', myOnError);
+  w._write = function() {};
+
+  r.pipe(w);
+  // Removing some OTHER random listener should not do anything
+  w.removeListener('error', function() {});
+  removed = true;
+
+  function myOnError(er) {
+    assert(!caught);
+    caught = true;
+  }
+})();