Index: jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ConcurrentImportTest.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ConcurrentImportTest.java	(revision 1170104)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ConcurrentImportTest.java	(working copy)
@@ -95,6 +95,18 @@
                             } catch (InvalidItemStateException e) {
                                 log.println("Ignoring expected error: " + e.toString());
                                 log.flush();
+                                
+                                // verify that a subsequent save() fails again
+                                try {
+                                    session.save();
+                                    // throw an exception instead of calling fail()
+                                    // so that the main thread actually gets to see it
+                                    throw new RepositoryException("should not get here");
+                                }
+                                catch (InvalidItemStateException e2) {
+                                    // expected
+                                }
+
                                 session.refresh(false);
                             }
                         } finally {
Index: jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ItemManager.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ItemManager.java	(revision 1170104)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/ItemManager.java	(working copy)
@@ -1093,7 +1093,6 @@
             itemDestroyed(destroyed.getId(), data);
 
             data.setStatus(ItemImpl.STATUS_DESTROYED);
-            data.setState(null);
         }
     }
 
Index: jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/LocalItemStateManager.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/LocalItemStateManager.java	(revision 1170104)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/LocalItemStateManager.java	(working copy)
@@ -408,10 +408,20 @@
             try {
                 local = changeLog.get(created.getId());
                 if (local != null) {
-                    // underlying state has been permanently created
-                    local.pull();
-                    local.setStatus(ItemState.STATUS_EXISTING);
-                    cache.cache(local);
+                    if (local.isNode() && local.getOverlayedState() != created) {
+                        // mid-air collision of concurrent node state creation
+                        // with same id (JCR-2272)
+                        if (local.getStatus() == ItemState.STATUS_NEW) {
+                            local.setStatus(ItemState.STATUS_UNDEFINED); // we need a state that is != NEW
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        if (local.getOverlayedState() == created) {
+                            // underlying state has been permanently created
+                            local.pull();
+                            local.setStatus(ItemState.STATUS_EXISTING);
+                            cache.cache(local);
+                        }
+                    }
                 }
             } catch (NoSuchItemStateException e) {
                 /* ignore */
Index: jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/SharedItemStateManager.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/SharedItemStateManager.java	(revision 1170104)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/state/SharedItemStateManager.java	(working copy)
@@ -683,6 +683,16 @@
                     shared.deleted(state.getOverlayedState());
                 }
                 for (ItemState state : local.addedStates()) {
+                    if (state.isNode() && state.getStatus() != ItemState.STATUS_NEW) {
+                        // another node with same id had been created
+                        // in the meantime, probably caused by mid-air collision
+                        // of concurrent versioning operations (JCR-2272)
+                        String msg = state.getId()
+                                + " has been created externally  (status "
+                                + state.getStatus() + ")";
+                        log.debug(msg);
+                        throw new StaleItemStateException(msg);
+                    }
                     state.connect(createInstance(state));
                     shared.added(state.getOverlayedState());
                 }
Index: jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/version/NodeStateEx.java
===================================================================
--- jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/version/NodeStateEx.java	(revision 1170104)
+++ jackrabbit-core/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/core/version/NodeStateEx.java	(working copy)
@@ -427,7 +427,9 @@
                 ItemState state = stateMgr.getItemState(propId);
                 stateMgr.destroy(state);
                 nodeState.removePropertyName(name);
-                nodeState.setStatus(ItemState.STATUS_EXISTING_MODIFIED);
+                if (nodeState.getStatus() != ItemState.STATUS_NEW) {
+                    nodeState.setStatus(ItemState.STATUS_EXISTING_MODIFIED);
+                }
                 return true;
             }
         } catch (ItemStateException e) {