diff --git a/files/copy b/files/copy
index 9d7bedb2446..0a5fa699d03 100644
--- a/files/copy
+++ b/files/copy
@@ -190,6 +190,15 @@ def main():
             md5sum_dest = module.md5(dest)
     else:
         if not os.path.exists(os.path.dirname(dest)):
+            try:
+                # os.path.exists() can return false in some
+                # circumstances where the directory does not have
+                # the execute bit for the current user set, in
+                # which case the stat() call will raise an OSError 
+                os.stat(os.path.dirname(dest))
+            except OSError, e:
+                if "permission denied" in str(e).lower():
+                    module.fail_json(msg="Destination directory %s is not accessible" % (os.path.dirname(dest)))
             module.fail_json(msg="Destination directory %s does not exist" % (os.path.dirname(dest)))
     if not os.access(os.path.dirname(dest), os.W_OK):
         module.fail_json(msg="Destination %s not writable" % (os.path.dirname(dest)))