diff --git a/gas/ChangeLog b/gas/ChangeLog
index 4d2c48f2ec..9bb49febc4 100644
--- a/gas/ChangeLog
+++ b/gas/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2005-06-08  Nick Clifton  <nickc@redhat.com>
+
+	PR 994
+	* config/tc-ia64.c (slot_index): Check for a NULL first_frag.
+
 2005-06-08  Kazuhiro Inaoka <inaoka.kazuhiro@renesas.com>
 
 	* config/tc-m32r.c (use_parallel): Change default value from 1 to 0.
diff --git a/gas/config/tc-ia64.c b/gas/config/tc-ia64.c
index c84b4ef495..b6eb6bbe89 100644
--- a/gas/config/tc-ia64.c
+++ b/gas/config/tc-ia64.c
@@ -2655,7 +2655,7 @@ slot_index (slot_addr, slot_frag, first_addr, first_frag, before_relax)
   /* If the two addresses are in different frags, then we need to add in
      the remaining size of this frag, and then the entire size of intermediate
      frags.  */
-  while (slot_frag != first_frag)
+  while (first_frag != NULL && slot_frag != first_frag)
     {
       unsigned long start_addr = (unsigned long) &first_frag->fr_literal;