diff --git a/src/Php/Translator.php b/src/Php/Translator.php
index dbb1ff9f..69fc3137 100644
--- a/src/Php/Translator.php
+++ b/src/Php/Translator.php
@@ -1252,6 +1252,7 @@ class Translator extends Preprocessor
         if ($functionDef->returnType !== self::TYPE_VOID) {
             $cppCode .= $this->getIndent() . 'auto retval = ' . $fn . '(' . $callParams . ');' . PHP_EOL;
             $cppCode .= $this->getIndent() . 'php::move(retval, return_value);' . PHP_EOL;
+            $cppCode .= $this->getIndent() . 'php::deref(return_value);' . PHP_EOL;
         } else {
             $cppCode .= $this->getIndent() . $fn . '(' . $callParams . ');' . PHP_EOL;
         }
diff --git a/tests/aot/ref/009.phpt b/tests/aot/ref/009.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2b2ff674
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/aot/ref/009.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+--TEST--
+class const 001
+--FILE--
+<?php
+class WorkerA
+{
+    public function foo(): array {
+    }
+
+    public function sort(array &$list) {
+        sort($list);
+    }
+
+    public function run() {
+        return $this->foo();
+    }
+}
+
+class WorkerB extends WorkerA
+{
+    public function foo(): array {
+        $list = [377, 64, 688, 2];
+        $ref = &$list;
+        $this->sort($ref);
+        return $list;
+    }
+}
+
+function main()
+{
+    $o = new WorkerB;
+    var_dump($o->run());
+}
+?>
+--EXPECT--
+array(4) {
+  [0]=>
+  int(2)
+  [1]=>
+  int(64)
+  [2]=>
+  int(377)
+  [3]=>
+  int(688)
+}
\ No newline at end of file