diff --git a/servers/lloadd/operation.c b/servers/lloadd/operation.c
index f1b057ae2f..a52d880dd1 100644
--- a/servers/lloadd/operation.c
+++ b/servers/lloadd/operation.c
@@ -517,6 +517,38 @@ fail:
     return NULL;
 }
 
+int
+operation_send_abandon( Operation *op )
+{
+    Connection *upstream = op->o_upstream;
+    BerElement *ber;
+    int rc = -1;
+
+    ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &upstream->c_io_mutex );
+    ber = upstream->c_pendingber;
+    if ( ber == NULL && (ber = ber_alloc()) == NULL ) {
+        Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_ANY, "operation_send_abandon: "
+                "ber_alloc failed\n" );
+        goto done;
+    }
+    upstream->c_pendingber = ber;
+
+    rc = ber_printf( ber, "t{titi}", LDAP_TAG_MESSAGE,
+            LDAP_TAG_MSGID, upstream->c_next_msgid++,
+            LDAP_REQ_ABANDON, op->o_upstream_msgid );
+
+    if ( rc < 0 ) {
+        ber_free( ber, 1 );
+        upstream->c_pendingber = NULL;
+        goto done;
+    }
+    rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
+
+done:
+    ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_unlock( &upstream->c_io_mutex );
+    return rc;
+}
+
 /*
  * Will remove the operation from its upstream and if it was still there,
  * sends an abandon request.
@@ -528,9 +560,8 @@ void
 operation_abandon( Operation *op )
 {
     Connection *c;
-    BerElement *ber;
     Backend *b;
-    int rc;
+    int rc = LDAP_SUCCESS;
 
     ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &op->o_link_mutex );
     c = op->o_upstream;
@@ -556,30 +587,7 @@ operation_abandon( Operation *op )
     b->b_n_ops_executing--;
     ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_unlock( &b->b_mutex );
 
-    ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_lock( &c->c_io_mutex );
-
-    ber = c->c_pendingber;
-    if ( ber == NULL && (ber = ber_alloc()) == NULL ) {
-        Debug( LDAP_DEBUG_ANY, "operation_abandon: "
-                "ber_alloc failed\n" );
-        ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_unlock( &c->c_io_mutex );
-        CONNECTION_LOCK_DECREF(c);
-        goto unlock;
-    }
-    c->c_pendingber = ber;
-
-    rc = ber_printf( ber, "t{titi}", LDAP_TAG_MESSAGE,
-            LDAP_TAG_MSGID, c->c_next_msgid++,
-            LDAP_REQ_ABANDON, op->o_upstream_msgid );
-
-    if ( rc == -1 ) {
-        ber_free( ber, 1 );
-        c->c_pendingber = NULL;
-    }
-
-    ldap_pvt_thread_mutex_unlock( &c->c_io_mutex );
-
-    if ( rc != -1 ) {
+    if ( operation_send_abandon( op ) == LDAP_SUCCESS ) {
         connection_write_cb( -1, 0, c );
     }
 
@@ -594,7 +602,11 @@ unlock:
     if ( !c->c_live ) {
         operation_destroy_from_upstream( op );
     }
-    CONNECTION_UNLOCK_OR_DESTROY(c);
+    if ( rc ) {
+        CONNECTION_DESTROY(c);
+    } else {
+        CONNECTION_UNLOCK_OR_DESTROY(c);
+    }
 
 done:
     c = op->o_client;
diff --git a/servers/lloadd/proto-slap.h b/servers/lloadd/proto-slap.h
index 7fd5354b5a..5f797cac78 100644
--- a/servers/lloadd/proto-slap.h
+++ b/servers/lloadd/proto-slap.h
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ LDAP_SLAPD_F (const char *) slap_msgtype2str( ber_tag_t tag );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (int) operation_upstream_cmp( const void *l, const void *r );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (int) operation_client_cmp( const void *l, const void *r );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (Operation *) operation_init( Connection *c, BerElement *ber );
+LDAP_SLAPD_F (int) operation_send_abandon( Operation *op );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (void) operation_abandon( Operation *op );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (void) operation_send_reject( Operation *op, int result, const char *msg, int send_anyway );
 LDAP_SLAPD_F (int) operation_send_reject_locked( Operation *op, int result, const char *msg, int send_anyway );