diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/io.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/io.h
index 5e4058e4e..eca543aba 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/io.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/io.h
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ extern Sfio_t 	*sh_iostream(Shell_t*,int);
 extern int	sh_redirect(Shell_t*,struct ionod*,int);
 extern void 	sh_iosave(Shell_t *, int,int,char*);
 extern int 	sh_iovalidfd(Shell_t*, int);
+extern int	sh_iosafefd(Shell_t*, int);
 extern int 	sh_inuse(Shell_t*, int);
 extern void 	sh_iounsave(Shell_t*);
 extern void	sh_iounpipe(Shell_t*);
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/io.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/io.c
index 63e2af26d..6636e027f 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/io.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/io.c
@@ -436,6 +436,24 @@ int  sh_iovalidfd(Shell_t *shp, int fd)
 	return(1);
 }
 
+int  sh_iosafefd(Shell_t* shp, int sfd)
+{
+	register int	fd;
+	while(1)
+	{
+		for(fd=0; fd < shp->topfd; fd++)
+		{
+			if (filemap[fd].save_fd==sfd || filemap[fd].orig_fd==sfd || (fcntl(sfd, F_GETFD) != -1 || errno != EBADF))
+			{
+				sfd++;
+				continue;
+			}
+		}
+		break;
+	}
+	return(sfd);
+}
+
 int  sh_inuse(Shell_t *shp, int fd)
 {
 	return(fd < shp->gd->lim.open_max && shp->fdptrs[fd]);
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/subshell.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/subshell.c
index 64d1100f8..4ba0a5e48 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/subshell.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/subshell.c
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ Sfio_t *sh_subshell(Shell_t *shp,Shnode_t *t, volatile int flags, int comsub)
 			}
 			if(iop && sffileno(iop)==1)
 			{
-				int fd=sfsetfd(iop,3);
+				int fd = sfsetfd(iop,sh_iosafefd(shp,3));
 				if(fd<0)
 				{
 					shp->toomany = 1;
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
index c62295f45..539ee9020 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
@@ -830,5 +830,22 @@ sleep_pid=$!
 ((!(e = $?))) || err_exit "backtick comsub with pipe hangs (got status $e$( ((e>128)) && print -n / && kill -l "$e"))"
 kill "$sleep_pid" 2>/dev/null
 
+# ======
+# https://bugzilla.redhat.com/1116072
+
+expect='return-value'
+function get_value
+{
+	/dev/null/foo 2>/dev/null	# trigger part 1: external command (even nonexistent)
+	exec 3>&-			# trigger part 2: close file descriptor 3
+	print return-value		# with the bug, the comsub won't output this
+}
+actual=$(get_value)
+[[ $actual == "$expect" ]] || err_exit "\$(Comsub) failed to return output (expected '$expect', got '$actual')"
+actual=${ get_value; }
+[[ $actual == "$expect" ]] || err_exit "\${ Comsub; } failed to return output (expected '$expect', got '$actual')"
+actual=`get_value`
+[[ $actual == "$expect" ]] || err_exit "\`Comsub\` failed to return output (expected '$expect', got '$actual')"
+
 # ======
 exit $((Errors<125?Errors:125))