diff --git a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
--- a/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
+++ b/sys/net80211/ieee80211_node.c
@@ -2190,7 +2190,7 @@
 	struct ieee80211_node_table *nt = &ic->ic_sta;
 	struct ieee80211_node *nikey;
 	ieee80211_keyix keyix;
-	int isowned, status;
+	int status;
 
 	/*
 	 * NB: We must beware of LOR here; deleting the key
@@ -2204,21 +2204,24 @@
 	 * way to separate out this path so we must do this
 	 * conditionally.
 	 */
-	isowned = IEEE80211_NODE_IS_LOCKED(nt);
-	if (!isowned)
-		IEEE80211_NODE_LOCK(nt);
 	nikey = NULL;
 	status = 1;		/* NB: success */
+
 	if (ni->ni_ucastkey.wk_keyix != IEEE80211_KEYIX_NONE) {
 		keyix = ni->ni_ucastkey.wk_rxkeyix;
 		status = ieee80211_crypto_delkey(ni->ni_vap, &ni->ni_ucastkey);
-		if (nt->nt_keyixmap != NULL && keyix < nt->nt_keyixmax) {
-			nikey = nt->nt_keyixmap[keyix];
-			nt->nt_keyixmap[keyix] = NULL;
+
+		if (!IEEE80211_NODE_IS_LOCKED(nt)) {
+			IEEE80211_NODE_LOCK(nt);
+			if (nt->nt_keyixmap != NULL && keyix < nt->nt_keyixmax) {
+				nikey = nt->nt_keyixmap[keyix];
+				nt->nt_keyixmap[keyix] = NULL;
+			}
+			IEEE80211_NODE_UNLOCK(nt);
+		} else {
+			panic("%s:%d: node locked?", __func__, __LINE__);
 		}
 	}
-	if (!isowned)
-		IEEE80211_NODE_UNLOCK(nt);
 
 	if (nikey != NULL) {
 		KASSERT(nikey == ni,