diff --git a/packages/pg-native/index.js b/packages/pg-native/index.js
index 451daeb7d..442efb1ab 100644
--- a/packages/pg-native/index.js
+++ b/packages/pg-native/index.js
@@ -188,23 +188,23 @@ Client.prototype._emitResult = function (pq) {
     case 'PGRES_TUPLES_OK':
     case 'PGRES_COMMAND_OK':
     case 'PGRES_EMPTY_QUERY':
+    case 'PGRES_COPY_OUT':
+    case 'PGRES_COPY_IN':
+    case 'PGRES_COPY_BOTH':
       {
         const result = this._consumeQueryResults(this.pq)
         this.emit('result', result)
       }
       break
 
-    case 'PGRES_COPY_OUT':
-    case 'PGRES_COPY_BOTH': {
-      break
-    }
-
     case 'PGRES_PIPELINE_SYNC':
     case 'PGRES_PIPELINE_ABORTED':
       break
 
     default:
-      this._readError('unrecognized command status: ' + status)
+      this._queryError = new Error(
+        this.pq.resultErrorMessage() || this.pq.errorMessage() || 'unrecognized command status: ' + status
+      )
       break
   }
   return status
diff --git a/packages/pg-native/test/unhandled-result-status.js b/packages/pg-native/test/unhandled-result-status.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..910f89f86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/pg-native/test/unhandled-result-status.js
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+const assert = require('assert')
+const EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter
+const types = require('pg-types')
+const Client = require('../')
+
+function stubClient(pq) {
+  const client = Object.create(Client.prototype)
+  EventEmitter.call(client)
+  client.pq = pq
+  client._types = types
+  client.arrayMode = false
+  client._resultCount = 0
+  client._queryError = undefined
+  client._results = undefined
+  client._rows = undefined
+  client.on('result', client._onResult.bind(client))
+  return client
+}
+
+function emptyResultPq(status, errorMessage) {
+  return {
+    resultStatus: () => status,
+    resultErrorMessage: () => errorMessage || '',
+    errorMessage: () => errorMessage || '',
+    cmdStatus: () => 'COPY 0',
+    cmdTuples: () => '0',
+    nfields: () => 0,
+    ntuples: () => 0,
+  }
+}
+
+describe('unhandled libpq result statuses', () => {
+  it('emits a Result for COPY_OUT so the query callback is not left with undefined', (done) => {
+    const client = stubClient(emptyResultPq('PGRES_COPY_OUT'))
+    client._queryCallback = (err, rows, results) => {
+      assert.ifError(err)
+      assert.deepEqual(rows, [])
+      assert(results)
+      assert.deepEqual(results.rows, [])
+      done()
+    }
+    client._emitResult(client.pq)
+    client._onReadyForQuery()
+  })
+
+  it('emits a Result for COPY_IN', (done) => {
+    const client = stubClient(emptyResultPq('PGRES_COPY_IN'))
+    client._queryCallback = (err, rows, results) => {
+      assert.ifError(err)
+      assert(results)
+      assert.deepEqual(results.rows, [])
+      done()
+    }
+    client._emitResult(client.pq)
+    client._onReadyForQuery()
+  })
+
+  it('passes unrecognized statuses to the query callback instead of the client error event', (done) => {
+    const client = stubClient(emptyResultPq('PGRES_WEIRD', 'server said no'))
+    client.on('error', () => {
+      done(new Error('should not emit error on the client'))
+    })
+    client._queryCallback = (err) => {
+      assert(err instanceof Error)
+      assert.match(err.message, /server said no/)
+      done()
+    }
+    client._emitResult(client.pq)
+    client._onReadyForQuery()
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to the status name when libpq has no error message', (done) => {
+    const client = stubClient(emptyResultPq('PGRES_WEIRD'))
+    client._queryCallback = (err) => {
+      assert(err instanceof Error)
+      assert.match(err.message, /unrecognized command status: PGRES_WEIRD/)
+      done()
+    }
+    client._emitResult(client.pq)
+    client._onReadyForQuery()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/pg/lib/native/query.js b/packages/pg/lib/native/query.js
index 8cb561979..105211f06 100644
--- a/packages/pg/lib/native/query.js
+++ b/packages/pg/lib/native/query.js
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ NativeQuery.prototype.submit = function (client) {
       return self.handleError(err)
     }
 
+    // COPY and other unhandled libpq statuses used to complete with no result
+    // object. Treat that as an error so callers never see success plus undefined.
+    if (results == null) {
+      return self.handleError(new Error('Native query completed without a result'))
+    }
+
     // emit row events for each row in the result
     if (self._emitRowEvents) {
       if (results.length > 1) {
diff --git a/packages/pg/test/unit/native-query-missing-result-tests.js b/packages/pg/test/unit/native-query-missing-result-tests.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..320d2731d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/pg/test/unit/native-query-missing-result-tests.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+'use strict'
+const helper = require('./test-helper')
+const assert = require('assert')
+const NativeQuery = require('../../lib/native/query')
+const suite = new helper.Suite()
+const test = suite.test.bind(suite)
+
+function submitWithNativeResult(nativeCbArgs, queryCb) {
+  const query = new NativeQuery({ text: 'SELECT 1', callback: queryCb })
+  const client = {
+    namedQueries: {},
+    native: {
+      arrayMode: false,
+      pq: { resultErrorFields: () => null },
+      query: function (text, valuesOrCb, maybeCb) {
+        const cb = typeof valuesOrCb === 'function' ? valuesOrCb : maybeCb
+        setImmediate(() => cb.apply(null, nativeCbArgs))
+      },
+    },
+  }
+  query.submit(client)
+}
+
+test('missing native result is an error, not success with undefined', (done) => {
+  submitWithNativeResult([null, [], undefined], (err, res) => {
+    assert(err instanceof Error)
+    assert.strictEqual(res, undefined)
+    assert.match(err.message, /without a result/)
+    done()
+  })
+})
+
+test('normal native result still succeeds', (done) => {
+  const result = { rows: [{ n: 1 }], fields: [], command: 'SELECT', rowCount: 1 }
+  submitWithNativeResult([null, result.rows, result], (err, res) => {
+    assert.ifError(err)
+    assert.strictEqual(res, result)
+    done()
+  })
+})
+
+test('native query error is still forwarded', (done) => {
+  const boom = new Error('boom')
+  submitWithNativeResult([boom], (err) => {
+    assert.strictEqual(err, boom)
+    done()
+  })
+})