diff --git a/lib/import/BpmnTreeWalker.js b/lib/import/BpmnTreeWalker.js
index 59784a7f..915f19c3 100644
--- a/lib/import/BpmnTreeWalker.js
+++ b/lib/import/BpmnTreeWalker.js
@@ -112,6 +112,10 @@ function BpmnTraverser(handler) {
 
     var rootElement = diagram.plane.bpmnElement;
 
+    if (!rootElement) {
+      throw new Error('no rootElement referenced in BPMNPlane <' + diagram.plane.id + '>');
+    }
+
     if (is(rootElement, 'bpmn:Process')) {
       handleProcess(rootElement);
     } else
diff --git a/test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-no-bpmn-element.bpmn b/test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-plane-no-bpmn-element.bpmn
similarity index 58%
rename from test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-no-bpmn-element.bpmn
rename to test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-plane-no-bpmn-element.bpmn
index d01ef0c8..5cc4e6d1 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-no-bpmn-element.bpmn
+++ b/test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-plane-no-bpmn-element.bpmn
@@ -1,13 +1,10 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<bpmn2:definitions xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:bpmn2="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL BPMN20.xsd" id="test" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn">
+<bpmn2:definitions xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:bpmn2="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL BPMN20.xsd" id="_F2BQoOJhEeOt3puKo8GLGA" targetNamespace="http://activiti.org/bpmn">
+  <!-- Collaboration_2 removed -->
   <bpmn2:process id="Process_1" isExecutable="false">
-    <bpmn2:startEvent id="StartEvent_1"/>
   </bpmn2:process>
   <bpmndi:BPMNDiagram id="BPMNDiagram_1">
-    <bpmndi:BPMNPlane id="BPMNPlane_1" bpmnElement="Process_1">
-      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="_BPMNShape_StartEvent_2">
-        <dc:Bounds height="36.0" width="36.0" x="412.0" y="240.0"/>
-      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+    <bpmndi:BPMNPlane id="BPMNPlane_1" bpmnElement="Collaboration_2">
     </bpmndi:BPMNPlane>
   </bpmndi:BPMNDiagram>
 </bpmn2:definitions>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/spec/browser/ViewerSpec.js b/test/spec/browser/ViewerSpec.js
index 25e3e5d0..e1d26721 100644
--- a/test/spec/browser/ViewerSpec.js
+++ b/test/spec/browser/ViewerSpec.js
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ describe('Viewer', function() {
 
   describe('error handling', function() {
 
-    it('should handle errors', function(done) {
+    it('should handle non-bpmn input', function(done) {
 
       var xml = 'invalid stuff';
 
@@ -57,6 +57,22 @@ describe('Viewer', function() {
       });
     });
 
+
+    it('should handle invalid BPMNPlane#bpmnElement', function(done) {
+
+      var xml = fs.readFileSync('test/fixtures/bpmn/error/di-plane-no-bpmn-element.bpmn', 'utf8');
+
+      var renderer = new Viewer(container);
+
+      renderer.importXML(xml, function(err) {
+
+        expect(err).toBeDefined();
+        expect(err.message).toEqual('no rootElement referenced in BPMNPlane <BPMNPlane_1>');
+
+        done();
+      });
+    });
+
   });