diff --git a/src/http/ngx_http_file_cache.c b/src/http/ngx_http_file_cache.c
index d87f785..f212d6c 100644
--- a/src/http/ngx_http_file_cache.c
+++ b/src/http/ngx_http_file_cache.c
@@ -853,6 +853,10 @@
     ngx_log_debug1(NGX_LOG_DEBUG_HTTP, r->connection->log, 0,
                    "http file cache send: %s", c->file.name.data);
 
+    if (r != r->main && c->length - c->body_start == 0) {
+        return ngx_http_send_header(r);
+    }
+
     /* we need to allocate all before the header would be sent */
 
     b = ngx_pcalloc(r->pool, sizeof(ngx_buf_t));
@@ -865,8 +869,6 @@
         return NGX_HTTP_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR;
     }
 
-    r->header_only = (c->length - c->body_start) == 0;
-
     rc = ngx_http_send_header(r);
 
     if (rc == NGX_ERROR || rc > NGX_OK || r->header_only) {
@@ -876,7 +878,7 @@
     b->file_pos = c->body_start;
     b->file_last = c->length;
 
-    b->in_file = 1;
+    b->in_file = (c->length - c->body_start) ? 1: 0;
     b->last_buf = (r == r->main) ? 1: 0;
     b->last_in_chain = 1;