diff --git a/lib/http-proxy/passes/ws-incoming.js b/lib/http-proxy/passes/ws-incoming.js
index 070cefbb9..e7407fe44 100644
--- a/lib/http-proxy/passes/ws-incoming.js
+++ b/lib/http-proxy/passes/ws-incoming.js
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ var passes = exports;
       common.setupOutgoing(options.ssl || {}, options, req)
     );
     // Error Handler
-    proxyReq.on('error', function(err){
+    var onProxyError = function(err){
       var ev   = 'http-proxy:outgoing:ws:';
       // If no error listeners, so throw the error.
       if (!options.ee.listeners(ev + 'error').length){
@@ -114,11 +114,18 @@ var passes = exports;
       }
       // Also emit the error events
       options.ee.emit(ev + 'error', err, req, socket, head);
-    });
+    };
+
+    proxyReq.on('error', onProxyError);
 
     proxyReq.on('upgrade', function(proxyRes, proxySocket, proxyHead) {
       common.setupSocket(proxySocket);
 
+      // http client removes the error handler from proxySocket (which
+      // redirected 'error' events from proxySocket to proxyReq) before emitting
+      // 'upgrade'. So we need to ask for it again.
+      proxySocket.on('error', onProxyError);
+
       if (proxyHead && proxyHead.length) proxySocket.unshift(proxyHead);
 
       socket.write('HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols\r\n');