diff --git a/channel.go b/channel.go
index 7d45e098..6a028da4 100644
--- a/channel.go
+++ b/channel.go
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func NewChannel(serviceName string, opts *ChannelOptions) (*Channel, error) {
 	// Default to dialContext if dialer is not passed in as an option
 	dialCtx := dialContext
 	if opts.Dialer != nil {
-		dialCtx = func (ctx context.Context, hostPort string) (net.Conn, error) {
+		dialCtx = func(ctx context.Context, hostPort string) (net.Conn, error) {
 			return opts.Dialer(ctx, "tcp", hostPort)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/thrift/server.go b/thrift/server.go
index a33146d4..c2ba4804 100644
--- a/thrift/server.go
+++ b/thrift/server.go
@@ -202,12 +202,16 @@ func (s *Server) handle(origCtx context.Context, handler handler, method string,
 	}
 
 	writer, err = call.Response().Arg3Writer()
+
 	wp = getProtocolWriter(writer)
-	resp.Write(wp.protocol)
-	thriftProtocolPool.Put(wp)
-	err = writer.Close()
+	defer thriftProtocolPool.Put(wp)
+
+	if err := resp.Write(wp.protocol); err != nil {
+		call.Response().SendSystemError(err)
+		return err
+	}
 
-	return err
+	return writer.Close()
 }
 
 func getServiceMethod(method string) (string, string, bool) {
diff --git a/thrift/server_test.go b/thrift/server_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a8201624
--- /dev/null
+++ b/thrift/server_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+package thrift
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	athrift "github.com/apache/thrift/lib/go/thrift"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/uber/tchannel-go"
+	"github.com/uber/tchannel-go/testutils"
+)
+
+var errIO = errors.New("IO Error")
+
+// badTStruct implements TStruct that always fails with the provided error.
+type badTStruct struct {
+	// If specified, runs the specified function before failing the Write.
+	PreWrite func(athrift.TProtocol)
+
+	Err error
+}
+
+func (t *badTStruct) Write(p athrift.TProtocol) error {
+	if t.PreWrite != nil {
+		t.PreWrite(p)
+	}
+	return t.Err
+}
+
+func (t *badTStruct) Read(p athrift.TProtocol) error {
+	return t.Err
+}
+
+// nullTStruct implements TStruct that does nothing at all with no errors.
+type nullTStruct struct{}
+
+func (*nullTStruct) Write(p athrift.TProtocol) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (*nullTStruct) Read(p athrift.TProtocol) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+// thriftStruction is a TChannel service that implements the following
+// methods:
+//
+//   destruct
+//     Returns a TStruct that fails without writing anything.
+//   partialDestruct
+//     Returns a TStruct that fails after writing partial output.
+type thriftStruction struct{}
+
+func (ts *thriftStruction) Handle(
+	ctx Context,
+	methodName string,
+	protocol athrift.TProtocol,
+) (success bool, resp athrift.TStruct, err error) {
+	var preWrite func(athrift.TProtocol)
+	if methodName == "partialDestruct" {
+		preWrite = func(p athrift.TProtocol) {
+			p.WriteStructBegin("foo")
+			p.WriteFieldBegin("bar", athrift.STRING, 42)
+			p.WriteString("baz")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// successful call with a TStruct that fails while writing.
+	return true, &badTStruct{Err: errIO, PreWrite: preWrite}, nil
+}
+
+func (ts *thriftStruction) Service() string { return "destruct" }
+
+func (ts *thriftStruction) Methods() []string {
+	return []string{"destruct", "partialDestruct"}
+}
+
+func TestHandleTStructError(t *testing.T) {
+	serverOpts := testutils.NewOpts().
+		AddLogFilter(
+			"Thrift server error.", 1,
+			"error", "IO Error",
+			"method", "destruct::destruct").
+		AddLogFilter(
+			"Thrift server error.", 1,
+			"error", "IO Error",
+			"method", "destruct::partialDestruct")
+	server := testutils.NewTestServer(t, serverOpts)
+	defer server.CloseAndVerify()
+
+	// Create a thrift server with a handler that returns success with
+	// TStructs that refuse to do I/O.
+	tchan := server.Server()
+	NewServer(tchan).Register(&thriftStruction{})
+
+	client := NewClient(
+		server.NewClient(testutils.NewOpts()),
+		tchan.ServiceName(),
+		&ClientOptions{HostPort: server.HostPort()},
+	)
+
+	t.Run("failing response", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx, cancel := NewContext(time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+
+		_, err := client.Call(ctx, "destruct", "destruct", &nullTStruct{}, &nullTStruct{})
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.IsType(t, tchannel.SystemError{}, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, tchannel.ErrCodeUnexpected, tchannel.GetSystemErrorCode(err))
+		assert.Equal(t, "IO Error", tchannel.GetSystemErrorMessage(err))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("failing response with partial write", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctx, cancel := NewContext(time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+
+		_, err := client.Call(ctx, "destruct", "partialDestruct", &nullTStruct{}, &nullTStruct{})
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.IsType(t, tchannel.SystemError{}, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, tchannel.ErrCodeUnexpected, tchannel.GetSystemErrorCode(err))
+		assert.Equal(t, "IO Error", tchannel.GetSystemErrorMessage(err))
+	})
+}