diff --git a/lib/reporters/base.js b/lib/reporters/base.js
index 172d489785..f3a4e67ca3 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/base.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/base.js
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ function Base (runner) {
     failures.push(test);
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     stats.end = new Date();
     stats.duration = stats.end - stats.start;
   });
diff --git a/lib/reporters/dot.js b/lib/reporters/dot.js
index 81e106edd0..3ccbce9ad3 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/dot.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/dot.js
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ function Dot (runner) {
     process.stdout.write(color('fail', Base.symbols.bang));
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     console.log();
     self.epilogue();
   });
diff --git a/lib/reporters/json-stream.js b/lib/reporters/json-stream.js
index c0d79cf970..af3e86d259 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/json-stream.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/json-stream.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ function List (runner) {
     console.log(JSON.stringify(['fail', test]));
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(['end', self.stats]));
   });
 }
diff --git a/lib/reporters/json.js b/lib/reporters/json.js
index 259a782121..97989ccbb3 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/json.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/json.js
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ function JSONReporter (runner) {
     pending.push(test);
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     var obj = {
       stats: self.stats,
       tests: tests.map(clean),
diff --git a/lib/reporters/landing.js b/lib/reporters/landing.js
index b8c7b5f20c..3cc036421d 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/landing.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/landing.js
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ function Landing (runner) {
     stream.write('\u001b[0m');
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     cursor.show();
     console.log();
     self.epilogue();
diff --git a/lib/reporters/list.js b/lib/reporters/list.js
index a562cdb94c..719ec0166c 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/list.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/list.js
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ function List (runner) {
     console.log(color('fail', '  %d) %s'), ++n, test.fullTitle());
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', self.epilogue.bind(self));
+  runner.once('end', self.epilogue.bind(self));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/reporters/markdown.js b/lib/reporters/markdown.js
index 9c06616ea9..2c27e1dc25 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/markdown.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/markdown.js
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ function Markdown (runner) {
     buf += '```\n\n';
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     process.stdout.write('# TOC\n');
     process.stdout.write(generateTOC(runner.suite));
     process.stdout.write(buf);
diff --git a/lib/reporters/min.js b/lib/reporters/min.js
index 0d772f9601..2573a43450 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/min.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/min.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ function Min (runner) {
     process.stdout.write('\u001b[1;3H');
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', this.epilogue.bind(this));
+  runner.once('end', this.epilogue.bind(this));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/reporters/nyan.js b/lib/reporters/nyan.js
index 1be49a97b9..77478ebd51 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/nyan.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/nyan.js
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ function NyanCat (runner) {
     self.draw();
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     Base.cursor.show();
     for (var i = 0; i < self.numberOfLines; i++) {
       write('\n');
diff --git a/lib/reporters/progress.js b/lib/reporters/progress.js
index 9d545534bc..27b79f99e3 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/progress.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/progress.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ function Progress (runner, options) {
 
   // tests are complete, output some stats
   // and the failures if any
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     cursor.show();
     console.log();
     self.epilogue();
diff --git a/lib/reporters/spec.js b/lib/reporters/spec.js
index 993aff8dd3..d0543a5360 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/spec.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/spec.js
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ function Spec (runner) {
     console.log(indent() + color('fail', '  %d) %s'), ++n, test.title);
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', self.epilogue.bind(self));
+  runner.once('end', self.epilogue.bind(self));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/reporters/tap.js b/lib/reporters/tap.js
index e37ac1b16f..4e99165f8f 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/tap.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/tap.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function TAP (runner) {
     }
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     console.log('# tests ' + (passes + failures));
     console.log('# pass ' + passes);
     console.log('# fail ' + failures);
diff --git a/lib/reporters/xunit.js b/lib/reporters/xunit.js
index 7d98815ca2..faf96adac1 100644
--- a/lib/reporters/xunit.js
+++ b/lib/reporters/xunit.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ function XUnit (runner, options) {
     tests.push(test);
   });
 
-  runner.on('end', function () {
+  runner.once('end', function () {
     self.write(tag('testsuite', {
       name: suiteName,
       tests: stats.tests,
diff --git a/lib/runnable.js b/lib/runnable.js
index e8ca41800f..1045b0680b 100644
--- a/lib/runnable.js
+++ b/lib/runnable.js
@@ -142,6 +142,24 @@ Runnable.prototype.isPending = function () {
   return this.pending || (this.parent && this.parent.isPending());
 };
 
+/**
+ * Return `true` if this Runnable has failed.
+ * @return {boolean}
+ * @private
+ */
+Runnable.prototype.isFailed = function () {
+  return !this.isPending() && this.state === 'failed';
+};
+
+/**
+ * Return `true` if this Runnable has passed.
+ * @return {boolean}
+ * @private
+ */
+Runnable.prototype.isPassed = function () {
+  return !this.isPending() && this.state === 'passed';
+};
+
 /**
  * Set or get number of retries.
  *
diff --git a/lib/runner.js b/lib/runner.js
index 2e74c985fe..5a7e3e03e0 100644
--- a/lib/runner.js
+++ b/lib/runner.js
@@ -726,21 +726,25 @@ Runner.prototype.uncaught = function (err) {
 
   runnable.clearTimeout();
 
-  // Ignore errors if complete or pending
-  if (runnable.state || runnable.isPending()) {
+  // Ignore errors if already failed or pending
+  // See #3226
+  if (runnable.isFailed() || runnable.isPending()) {
     return;
   }
+  // we cannot recover gracefully if a Runnable has already passed
+  // then fails asynchronously
+  var alreadyPassed = runnable.isPassed();
+  // this will change the state to "failed" regardless of the current value
   this.fail(runnable, err);
+  if (!alreadyPassed) {
+    // recover from test
+    if (runnable.type === 'test') {
+      this.emit('test end', runnable);
+      this.hookUp('afterEach', this.next);
+      return;
+    }
 
-  // recover from test
-  if (runnable.type === 'test') {
-    this.emit('test end', runnable);
-    this.hookUp('afterEach', this.next);
-    return;
-  }
-
-  // recover from hooks
-  if (runnable.type === 'hook') {
+    // recover from hooks
     var errSuite = this.suite;
     // if hook failure is in afterEach block
     if (runnable.fullTitle().indexOf('after each') > -1) {
diff --git a/test/integration/fixtures/uncaught-fatal.fixture.js b/test/integration/fixtures/uncaught-fatal.fixture.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..10be283816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/fixtures/uncaught-fatal.fixture.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+'use strict';
+
+it('should bail if a successful test asynchronously fails', function(done) {
+  done();
+  process.nextTick(function () {
+    throw new Error('global error');
+  });
+});
+
+it('should not actually get run', function () {
+});
diff --git a/test/integration/uncaught.spec.js b/test/integration/uncaught.spec.js
index 9a3dadbbbd..db495a923a 100644
--- a/test/integration/uncaught.spec.js
+++ b/test/integration/uncaught.spec.js
@@ -40,4 +40,24 @@ describe('uncaught exceptions', function () {
       done();
     });
   });
+
+  it('handles uncaught exceptions from which Mocha cannot recover', function (done) {
+    run('uncaught-fatal.fixture.js', args, function (err, res) {
+      if (err) {
+        done(err);
+        return;
+      }
+      assert.equal(res.stats.pending, 0);
+      assert.equal(res.stats.passes, 1);
+      assert.equal(res.stats.failures, 1);
+
+      assert.equal(res.failures[0].title,
+        'should bail if a successful test asynchronously fails');
+      assert.equal(res.passes[0].title,
+        'should bail if a successful test asynchronously fails');
+
+      assert.equal(res.code, 1);
+      done();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/unit/runnable.spec.js b/test/unit/runnable.spec.js
index b7f2cecb7a..06545e10a2 100644
--- a/test/unit/runnable.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/runnable.spec.js
@@ -490,4 +490,37 @@ describe('Runnable(title, fn)', function () {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('#isFailed()', function () {
+    it('should return `true` if test has not failed', function () {
+      var test = new Runnable('foo', function () {
+      });
+      // runner sets the state
+      test.run(function () {
+        expect(test.isFailed()).not.to.be.ok();
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return `true` if test has failed', function () {
+      var test = new Runnable('foo', function () {
+      });
+      // runner sets the state
+      test.state = 'failed';
+      test.run(function () {
+        expect(test.isFailed()).to.be.ok();
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return `false` if test is pending', function () {
+      var test = new Runnable('foo', function () {
+      });
+      // runner sets the state
+      test.isPending = function () {
+        return true;
+      };
+      test.run(function () {
+        expect(test.isFailed()).not.to.be.ok();
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });