diff --git a/docs/changelog/105293.yaml b/docs/changelog/105293.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..33eb3884a7e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changelog/105293.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+pr: 105293
+summary: Fix leaked HTTP response sent after close
+area: Network
+type: bug
+issues:
+ - 104651
diff --git a/modules/transport-netty4/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpChannel.java b/modules/transport-netty4/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpChannel.java
index f7e3809e295d..0ccd50770a05 100644
--- a/modules/transport-netty4/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpChannel.java
+++ b/modules/transport-netty4/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpChannel.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import org.elasticsearch.transport.netty4.Netty4TcpChannel;
 
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
+import java.nio.channels.ClosedChannelException;
 
 public class Netty4HttpChannel implements HttpChannel {
 
@@ -31,7 +32,13 @@ public class Netty4HttpChannel implements HttpChannel {
 
     @Override
     public void sendResponse(HttpResponse response, ActionListener<Void> listener) {
-        channel.writeAndFlush(response, Netty4TcpChannel.addPromise(listener, channel));
+        if (isOpen()) {
+            channel.writeAndFlush(response, Netty4TcpChannel.addPromise(listener, channel));
+        } else {
+            // No need to dispatch to the event loop just to fail this listener; moreover the channel might be closed because the whole
+            // node is shutting down, in which case the event loop might not exist any more so the channel promise cannot be completed.
+            listener.onFailure(new ClosedChannelException());
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpServerTransportTests.java b/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpServerTransportTests.java
index 1215d54e9ace..4d44c37ac094 100644
--- a/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpServerTransportTests.java
+++ b/modules/transport-netty4/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/http/netty4/Netty4HttpServerTransportTests.java
@@ -39,10 +39,16 @@ import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpResponseStatus;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpUtil;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpVersion;
 
+import org.apache.http.HttpHost;
 import org.apache.lucene.util.SetOnce;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchException;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchSecurityException;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchWrapperException;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionListener;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.support.ActionTestUtils;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.support.SubscribableListener;
+import org.elasticsearch.client.Request;
+import org.elasticsearch.client.RestClient;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.bytes.BytesArray;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Iterators;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.network.NetworkAddress;
@@ -956,6 +962,58 @@ public class Netty4HttpServerTransportTests extends AbstractHttpServerTransportT
         }
     }
 
+    public void testRespondAfterClose() throws Exception {
+        final String url = "/thing";
+        final CountDownLatch responseReleasedLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        final SubscribableListener<Void> transportClosedFuture = new SubscribableListener<>();
+        final CountDownLatch handlingRequestLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
+
+        final HttpServerTransport.Dispatcher dispatcher = new HttpServerTransport.Dispatcher() {
+            @Override
+            public void dispatchRequest(final RestRequest request, final RestChannel channel, final ThreadContext threadContext) {
+                assertEquals(request.uri(), url);
+                final var response = RestResponse.chunked(
+                    OK,
+                    ChunkedRestResponseBody.fromTextChunks(RestResponse.TEXT_CONTENT_TYPE, Collections.emptyIterator()),
+                    responseReleasedLatch::countDown
+                );
+                transportClosedFuture.addListener(ActionListener.running(() -> channel.sendResponse(response)));
+                handlingRequestLatch.countDown();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void dispatchBadRequest(final RestChannel channel, final ThreadContext threadContext, final Throwable cause) {
+                fail(cause, "--> Unexpected bad request [%s]", FakeRestRequest.requestToString(channel.request()));
+            }
+        };
+
+        try (
+            Netty4HttpServerTransport transport = new Netty4HttpServerTransport(
+                Settings.EMPTY,
+                networkService,
+                threadPool,
+                xContentRegistry(),
+                dispatcher,
+                clusterSettings,
+                new SharedGroupFactory(Settings.EMPTY),
+                Tracer.NOOP,
+                TLSConfig.noTLS(),
+                null,
+                randomFrom((httpPreRequest, channel, listener) -> listener.onResponse(null), null)
+            )
+        ) {
+            transport.start();
+            final var address = randomFrom(transport.boundAddress().boundAddresses()).address();
+            try (var client = RestClient.builder(new HttpHost(address.getAddress(), address.getPort())).build()) {
+                client.performRequestAsync(new Request("GET", url), ActionTestUtils.wrapAsRestResponseListener(ActionListener.noop()));
+                safeAwait(handlingRequestLatch);
+                transport.close();
+                transportClosedFuture.onResponse(null);
+                safeAwait(responseReleasedLatch);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     private Netty4HttpServerTransport getTestNetty4HttpServerTransport(
         HttpServerTransport.Dispatcher dispatcher,
         HttpValidator httpValidator,