diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
index 6a701d6dcd6..077fc36ac28 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1736,6 +1736,8 @@ Release 0.23.6 - UNRELEASED
 
   BUG FIXES
 
+    HDFS-4247. saveNamespace should be tolerant of dangling lease (daryn)
+
 Release 0.23.5 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSNamesystem.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSNamesystem.java
index 4f25b295c3e..b293d8c3637 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSNamesystem.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSNamesystem.java
@@ -4896,19 +4896,13 @@ public class FSNamesystem implements Namesystem, FSClusterStats,
     // lock on our behalf. If we took the read lock here, we could block
     // for fairness if a writer is waiting on the lock.
     synchronized (leaseManager) {
-      out.writeInt(leaseManager.countPath()); // write the size
-
-      for (Lease lease : leaseManager.getSortedLeases()) {
-        for(String path : lease.getPaths()) {
-          // verify that path exists in namespace
-          final INodeFileUnderConstruction cons;
-          try {
-            cons = INodeFileUnderConstruction.valueOf(dir.getINode(path), path);
-          } catch (UnresolvedLinkException e) {
-            throw new AssertionError("Lease files should reside on this FS");
-          }
-          FSImageSerialization.writeINodeUnderConstruction(out, cons, path);
-        }
+      Map<String, INodeFileUnderConstruction> nodes =
+          leaseManager.getINodesUnderConstruction();
+      out.writeInt(nodes.size()); // write the size    
+      for (Map.Entry<String, INodeFileUnderConstruction> entry
+           : nodes.entrySet()) {
+        FSImageSerialization.writeINodeUnderConstruction(
+            out, entry.getValue(), entry.getKey());
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/LeaseManager.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/LeaseManager.java
index b1764b7d3cb..0810e55a3ed 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/LeaseManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/LeaseManager.java
@@ -429,6 +429,26 @@ public class LeaseManager {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get the list of inodes corresponding to valid leases.
+   * @return list of inodes
+   * @throws UnresolvedLinkException
+   */
+  Map<String, INodeFileUnderConstruction> getINodesUnderConstruction() {
+    Map<String, INodeFileUnderConstruction> inodes =
+        new TreeMap<String, INodeFileUnderConstruction>();
+    for (String p : sortedLeasesByPath.keySet()) {
+      // verify that path exists in namespace
+      try {
+        INode node = fsnamesystem.dir.getINode(p);
+        inodes.put(p, INodeFileUnderConstruction.valueOf(node, p));
+      } catch (IOException ioe) {
+        LOG.error(ioe);
+      }
+    }
+    return inodes;
+  }
+  
   /** Check the leases beginning from the oldest.
    *  @return true is sync is needed.
    */
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/TestSaveNamespace.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/TestSaveNamespace.java
index d0764b98da6..f837a37bd35 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/TestSaveNamespace.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/TestSaveNamespace.java
@@ -603,6 +603,24 @@ public class TestSaveNamespace {
     }
   }
   
+  @Test
+  public void testSaveNamespaceWithDanglingLease() throws Exception {
+    MiniDFSCluster cluster = new MiniDFSCluster.Builder(new Configuration())
+        .numDataNodes(1).build();
+    cluster.waitActive();
+    DistributedFileSystem fs = (DistributedFileSystem) cluster.getFileSystem();
+    try {
+      cluster.getNamesystem().leaseManager.addLease("me", "/non-existent");      
+      fs.setSafeMode(SafeModeAction.SAFEMODE_ENTER);
+      cluster.getNameNodeRpc().saveNamespace();
+      fs.setSafeMode(SafeModeAction.SAFEMODE_LEAVE);
+    } finally {
+      if (cluster != null) {
+        cluster.shutdown();
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   private void doAnEdit(FSNamesystem fsn, int id) throws IOException {
     // Make an edit
     fsn.mkdirs(