diff --git a/pkg/sql/crdb_internal.go b/pkg/sql/crdb_internal.go
index 0f4f3c364b9d..a2e928837881 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/crdb_internal.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/crdb_internal.go
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/stop"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/timeutil"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/tracing"
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/tracing/collector"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/errors"
 )
 
@@ -1286,7 +1287,8 @@ CREATE TABLE crdb_internal.cluster_inflight_traces (
 		}
 
 		traceCollector := p.ExecCfg().TraceCollector
-		for iter := traceCollector.StartIter(ctx, traceID); iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
+		var iter *collector.Iterator
+		for iter, err = traceCollector.StartIter(ctx, traceID); err == nil && iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
 			nodeID, recording := iter.Value()
 			traceString := recording.String()
 			traceJaegerJSON, err := recording.ToJaegerJSON("", "", fmt.Sprintf("node %d", nodeID))
@@ -1301,6 +1303,12 @@ CREATE TABLE crdb_internal.cluster_inflight_traces (
 				return false, err
 			}
 		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		if iter.Error() != nil {
+			return false, iter.Error()
+		}
 
 		return true, nil
 	}}},
diff --git a/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector.go b/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector.go
index 10753aa8edd5..a2432ff60ba9 100644
--- a/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector.go
+++ b/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector.go
@@ -87,11 +87,12 @@ type Iterator struct {
 
 // StartIter fetches the live nodes in the cluster, and configures the underlying
 // Iterator that is used to access recorded spans in a streaming fashion.
-func (t *TraceCollector) StartIter(ctx context.Context, traceID uint64) *Iterator {
+func (t *TraceCollector) StartIter(ctx context.Context, traceID uint64) (*Iterator, error) {
 	tc := &Iterator{ctx: ctx, traceID: traceID, collector: t}
-	tc.liveNodes, tc.iterErr = nodesFromNodeLiveness(ctx, t.nodeliveness)
-	if tc.iterErr != nil {
-		return nil
+	var err error
+	tc.liveNodes, err = nodesFromNodeLiveness(ctx, t.nodeliveness)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// Calling Next() positions the Iterator in a valid state. It will fetch the
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ func (t *TraceCollector) StartIter(ctx context.Context, traceID uint64) *Iterato
 	// nodes.
 	tc.Next()
 
-	return tc
+	return tc, nil
 }
 
 // Valid returns whether the Iterator is in a valid state to read values from.
diff --git a/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector_test.go b/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector_test.go
index e90b332a008b..55c4af5f7171 100644
--- a/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/tracing/collector/collector_test.go
@@ -133,10 +133,12 @@ func TestTracingCollectorGetSpanRecordings(t *testing.T) {
 		res := make(map[roachpb.NodeID][]tracing.Recording)
 
 		var iter *collector.Iterator
-		for iter = traceCollector.StartIter(ctx, traceID); iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
+		var err error
+		for iter, err = traceCollector.StartIter(ctx, traceID); err == nil && iter.Valid(); iter.Next() {
 			nodeID, recording := iter.Value()
 			res[nodeID] = append(res[nodeID], recording)
 		}
+		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.NoError(t, iter.Error())
 		return res
 	}