diff --git a/docs/plans/p5a/README.md b/docs/plans/p5a/README.md
index fb1fdfc..771c3bb 100644
--- a/docs/plans/p5a/README.md
+++ b/docs/plans/p5a/README.md
@@ -43,4 +43,10 @@ reaches orion until the owner's review, the merge, and straylight's pin bump.
 
 ## Changes during the run
 
-(none yet)
+- 2026-09-25, task 01: **owner test fault.** `TestFetchIf` took its mutex with `defer mu.Unlock()`
+  and then made a third request, whose server handler needs that mutex: a deadlock that surfaced as
+  a 20 s upstream timeout. Ornith spent 55 minutes debugging it correctly (its notes had the
+  handler blocked on `mu.Lock` at the test line) and ended on a refused `/tmp` read, with the
+  implementation done but debug prints in `pdf.go` and a `zz_debug_test.go`. Owner fixed the test
+  (copy the slice under the lock, release before the next request), removed the debug scaffolding,
+  and resumed the session to finish and commit.
diff --git a/docs/plans/p5a/_files/internal/fetch/pdf_test.go b/docs/plans/p5a/_files/internal/fetch/pdf_test.go
index 00f1b89..9f3c557 100644
--- a/docs/plans/p5a/_files/internal/fetch/pdf_test.go
+++ b/docs/plans/p5a/_files/internal/fetch/pdf_test.go
@@ -167,9 +167,10 @@ func TestFetchIf(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("changed document: res %+v err %v; want 200 with the new body and ETag", res, err)
 	}
 	mu.Lock()
-	defer mu.Unlock()
-	if len(got) != 2 || got[0] != `"v1"|` || got[1] != `"old"|Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT` {
-		t.Errorf("validators sent: %q", got)
+	sent := append([]string(nil), got...)
+	mu.Unlock() // never hold mu across another request: the handler takes it
+	if len(sent) != 2 || sent[0] != `"v1"|` || sent[1] != `"old"|Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT` {
+		t.Errorf("validators sent: %q", sent)
 	}
 	// With no validators FetchIf is a plain Fetch.
 	if _, err := f.FetchIf(context.Background(), ts.URL, "", ""); err != nil {