diff --git a/hapi-fhir-docs/src/main/resources/ca/uhn/hapi/fhir/changelog/5_7_0/3198-package-loading-woes.yaml b/hapi-fhir-docs/src/main/resources/ca/uhn/hapi/fhir/changelog/5_7_0/3198-package-loading-woes.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..800e393f9fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hapi-fhir-docs/src/main/resources/ca/uhn/hapi/fhir/changelog/5_7_0/3198-package-loading-woes.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+type: change
+issue: 3198
+jira: SMILE-3452
+title: "Fixed a regression where packages would fail to load if HAPI-FHIR was operating in DATABASE binary storage mode."
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/packages/JpaPackageCache.java b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/packages/JpaPackageCache.java
index 59790c4197c..0676f12fb24 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/packages/JpaPackageCache.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-jpaserver-base/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/jpa/packages/JpaPackageCache.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.api.dao.DaoRegistry;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.api.dao.IFhirResourceDao;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.api.model.ExpungeOptions;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.binstore.IBinaryStorageSvc;
+import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.binstore.NullBinaryStorageSvcImpl;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.dao.data.INpmPackageDao;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.dao.data.INpmPackageVersionDao;
 import ca.uhn.fhir.jpa.dao.data.INpmPackageVersionResourceDao;
@@ -198,7 +199,7 @@ public class JpaPackageCache extends BasePackageCacheManager implements IHapiPac
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 */
 	private byte[] fetchBlobFromBinary(IBaseBinary theBinary) throws IOException {
-		if (myBinaryStorageSvc != null) {
+		if (myBinaryStorageSvc != null && !(myBinaryStorageSvc instanceof NullBinaryStorageSvcImpl)) {
 			return myBinaryStorageSvc.fetchDataBlobFromBinary(theBinary);
 		} else {
 			byte[] value = BinaryUtil.getOrCreateData(myCtx, theBinary).getValue();