diff --git a/src/es_archiver/actions/load.js b/src/es_archiver/actions/load.js
index cc3cf8f789b043..f3ea7f19f54654 100644
--- a/src/es_archiver/actions/load.js
+++ b/src/es_archiver/actions/load.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import {
 const pipeline = (...streams) => streams
   .reduce((source, dest) => (
     source
-      .once('error', (error) => dest.emit('error', error))
+      .once('error', (error) => dest.destroy(error))
       .pipe(dest)
   ));
 
diff --git a/src/optimize/public_path_placeholder.js b/src/optimize/public_path_placeholder.js
index e40a9b4ba75913..c4e60798bd50e0 100644
--- a/src/optimize/public_path_placeholder.js
+++ b/src/optimize/public_path_placeholder.js
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export function replacePlaceholder(read, replacement) {
     takeUntil(Rx.fromEvent(read, 'end'))
   )
     .forEach(error => {
-      replace.emit('error', error);
+      replace.destroy(error);
       replace.end();
     });
 
diff --git a/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.js b/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.js
index adbbcf9a0d5f9d..db977d8716fffd 100644
--- a/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.js
+++ b/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export function concatStreamProviders(sourceProviders, options = {}) {
 
     source
       // proxy errors from the source to the destination
-      .once('error', (error) => destination.emit('error', error))
+      .once('error', (error) => destination.destroy(error))
       // pipe the source to the destination but only proxy the
       // end event if this is the last source
       .pipe(destination, { end: isLast });
diff --git a/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.test.js b/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.test.js
index f3997998c967bd..8f74a9a1353bfe 100644
--- a/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.test.js
+++ b/src/utils/streams/concat_stream_providers.test.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ describe('concatStreamProviders() helper', () => {
       () =>
         new Readable({
           read() {
-            this.emit('error', new Error('foo'));
+            this.destroy(new Error('foo'));
           },
         }),
     ]);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/reporting/server/browsers/download/download.test.js b/x-pack/plugins/reporting/server/browsers/download/download.test.js
index 61b505703a7516..76dc71a5ffde0c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/reporting/server/browsers/download/download.test.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/reporting/server/browsers/download/download.test.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jest.mock('request', () => {
     return new Readable({
       read() {
         if (resp instanceof Error) {
-          this.emit('error', resp);
+          this.destroy(resp);
           return;
         }