diff --git a/lib/_stream_writable.js b/lib/_stream_writable.js
index a438f213dd..ad38c6aa8d 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_writable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_writable.js
@@ -408,15 +408,26 @@ function doWrite(stream, state, writev, len, chunk, encoding, cb) {
 
 function onwriteError(stream, state, sync, er, cb) {
   --state.pendingcb;
-  if (sync) processNextTick(afterError, stream, state, cb, er);else afterError(stream, state, cb, er);
 
-  stream._writableState.errorEmitted = true;
-  stream.emit('error', er);
-}
-
-function afterError(stream, state, cb, err) {
-  cb(err);
-  finishMaybe(stream, state);
+  if (sync) {
+    // defer the callback if we are being called synchronously
+    // to avoid piling up things on the stack
+    processNextTick(cb, er);
+    // this can emit finish, and it will always happen
+    // after error
+    processNextTick(finishMaybe, stream, state);
+    stream._writableState.errorEmitted = true;
+    stream.emit('error', er);
+  } else {
+    // the caller expect this to happen before if
+    // it is async
+    cb(er);
+    stream._writableState.errorEmitted = true;
+    stream.emit('error', er);
+    // this can emit finish, but finish must
+    // always follow error
+    finishMaybe(stream, state);
+  }
 }
 
 function onwriteStateUpdate(state) {
@@ -649,4 +660,4 @@ Writable.prototype._undestroy = destroyImpl.undestroy;
 Writable.prototype._destroy = function (err, cb) {
   this.end();
   cb(err);
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+};