diff --git a/libavdevice/openal-dec.c b/libavdevice/openal-dec.c
index 4c4ba28c22..37d321a35d 100644
--- a/libavdevice/openal-dec.c
+++ b/libavdevice/openal-dec.c
@@ -192,7 +192,8 @@ static int read_packet(AVFormatContext* ctx, AVPacket *pkt)
     if (error = al_get_error(ad->device, &error_msg)) goto fail;
 
     /* Create a packet of appropriate size */
-    av_new_packet(pkt, nb_samples*ad->sample_step);
+    if ((error = av_new_packet(pkt, nb_samples*ad->sample_step)) < 0)
+        goto fail;
     pkt->pts = av_gettime();
 
     /* Fill the packet with the available samples */