diff --git a/cpukit/libmisc/untar/untar.c b/cpukit/libmisc/untar/untar.c
index 5cebc2d9ed..9ed00e92a0 100644
--- a/cpukit/libmisc/untar/untar.c
+++ b/cpukit/libmisc/untar/untar.c
@@ -281,6 +281,7 @@ Untar_FromFile(
 
    bufr = (char *)malloc(512);
    if (bufr == NULL) {
+      close(fd);
       return(UNTAR_FAIL);
    }