diff --git a/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.cc b/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.cc
index b7817352a5d9cc70c11b5f346a2df4cc36536d66..aa99d09e129121b0a105053074777b109887468b 100644
--- a/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.cc
+++ b/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.cc
@@ -492,7 +492,10 @@ namespace AMDiS {
 
     MatDestroy(&matIntInt);
     KSPDestroy(&kspInterior);
-    VecDestroy(&petscSolVec);
+
+    if (petscSolVec != PETSC_NULL) 
+      VecDestroy(&petscSolVec);
+    petscSolVec = PETSC_NULL;
   }
 
 
diff --git a/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.h b/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.h
index c04abe1ee20af2f765a219c18901f43880d7e3f3..caf3c9764c1fe98c4b1e279a5e152001237735c5 100644
--- a/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.h
+++ b/AMDiS/src/parallel/PetscSolverGlobalMatrix.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ namespace AMDiS {
   public:
     PetscSolverGlobalMatrix()
       : PetscSolver(),
+	petscSolVec(PETSC_NULL),
 	d_nnz(NULL),
 	o_nnz(NULL),
 	lastMeshNnz(0),