diff --git a/autopkgtest.py b/autopkgtest.py
index 3c4f49b..a708e31 100644
--- a/autopkgtest.py
+++ b/autopkgtest.py
@@ -386,12 +386,11 @@ class AutoPackageTest(object):
                 srcver = tar.extractfile('testpkg-version').read().decode().strip()
                 (ressrc, ver) = srcver.split()
         except (KeyError, ValueError, tarfile.TarError) as e:
-            self.log_error('%s is damaged: %s' % (url, str(e)))
-            # we can't just ignore this, as it would leave an orphaned request
-            # in pending.txt; consider it tmpfail
-            exitcode = 16
-            ressrc = src
-            ver = None
+            self.log_error('%s is damaged, ignoring: %s' % (url, str(e)))
+            # ignore this; this will leave an orphaned request in pending.txt
+            # and thus require manual retries after fixing the tmpfail, but we
+            # can't just blindly attribute it to some pending test.
+            return
 
         if src != ressrc:
             self.log_error('%s is a result for package %s, but expected package %s' %
@@ -408,9 +407,6 @@ class AutoPackageTest(object):
         # remove matching test requests, remember triggers
         satisfied_triggers = set()
         for pending_ver, pending_archinfo in self.pending_tests.get(src, {}).copy().items():
-            # if we encounter a tmpfail above, attribute it to the pending test
-            if ver is None:
-                ver = pending_ver
             # don't consider newer requested versions
             if apt_pkg.version_compare(pending_ver, ver) <= 0:
                 try:
diff --git a/tests/test_autopkgtest.py b/tests/test_autopkgtest.py
index e6ee505..406a6d1 100755
--- a/tests/test_autopkgtest.py
+++ b/tests/test_autopkgtest.py
@@ -985,9 +985,9 @@ lightgreen 1 i386 green 3
         self.assertEqual(self.pending_requests, '')
 
     def test_tmpfail(self):
-        '''tmpfail result is considered a failure'''
+        '''tmpfail results'''
 
-        # one tmpfail result without testpkg-version
+        # one tmpfail result without testpkg-version, should be ignored
         self.swift.set_results({'autopkgtest-series': {
             'series/i386/l/lightgreen/20150101_100000@': (0, 'lightgreen 1'),
             'series/i386/l/lightgreen/20150101_100101@': (16, None),
@@ -997,8 +997,8 @@ lightgreen 1 i386 green 3
 
         self.do_test(
             [('lightgreen', {'Version': '2', 'Depends': 'libgreen1 (>= 1)'}, 'autopkgtest')],
-            {'lightgreen': (False, {'lightgreen 2': {'amd64': 'REGRESSION', 'i386': 'REGRESSION'}})})
-        self.assertEqual(self.pending_requests, '')
+            {'lightgreen': (False, {'lightgreen 2': {'amd64': 'REGRESSION', 'i386': 'RUNNING'}})})
+        self.assertEqual(self.pending_requests, 'lightgreen 2 i386 lightgreen 2\n')
 
         # one more tmpfail result, should not confuse britney with None version
         self.swift.set_results({'autopkgtest-series': {
@@ -1006,7 +1006,7 @@ lightgreen 1 i386 green 3
         }})
         self.do_test(
             [],
-            {'lightgreen': (False, {'lightgreen 2': {'amd64': 'REGRESSION', 'i386': 'REGRESSION'}})})
+            {'lightgreen': (False, {'lightgreen 2': {'amd64': 'REGRESSION', 'i386': 'RUNNING'}})})
         with open(os.path.join(self.data.path, 'data/series-proposed/autopkgtest/results.cache')) as f:
             contents = f.read()
         self.assertNotIn('null', contents)