diff --git a/coreutils/tail.c b/coreutils/tail.c
index 44698f304..df881a37a 100644
--- a/coreutils/tail.c
+++ b/coreutils/tail.c
@@ -346,6 +346,7 @@ int tail_main(int argc, char **argv)
 	}
 	if (ENABLE_FEATURE_CLEAN_UP) {
 		free(fds);
+		free(tailbuf);
 	}
 	return G.status;
 }