diff --git a/infer/src/quandary/TaintAnalysis.ml b/infer/src/quandary/TaintAnalysis.ml
index 8672b569d..a945467da 100644
--- a/infer/src/quandary/TaintAnalysis.ml
+++ b/infer/src/quandary/TaintAnalysis.ml
@@ -473,8 +473,17 @@ module Make (TaintSpecification : TaintSpec.S) = struct
                     actuals with
               | [(AccessPath lhs_access_path); rhs_exp]
                -> exec_write lhs_access_path rhs_exp access_tree
+              | [ (AccessPath lhs_access_path)
+                ; rhs_exp
+                ; (HilExp.AccessPath ((Var.ProgramVar pvar, _), [] as dummy_ret_access_path)) ]
+                when Pvar.is_frontend_tmp pvar
+               -> (* the frontend translates operator=(x, y) as operator=(x, y, dummy_ret) when
+                     operator= returns a value type *)
+                  exec_write lhs_access_path rhs_exp access_tree
+                  |> exec_write dummy_ret_access_path rhs_exp
               | _
-               -> failwithf "Unexpected call to operator= %a" HilInstr.pp instr )
+               -> failwithf "Unexpected call to operator= %a in %a" HilInstr.pp instr
+                    Typ.Procname.pp callee_pname )
             | _
              -> let model =
                   TaintSpecification.handle_unknown_call callee_pname (Option.map ~f:snd ret_opt)
diff --git a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/quandary/basics.cpp b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/quandary/basics.cpp
index b04e31202..7dd6f2380 100644
--- a/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/quandary/basics.cpp
+++ b/infer/tests/codetoanalyze/cpp/quandary/basics.cpp
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
  * of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
  */
 
+#include <atomic>
+#include <chrono>
 #include <string>
 
 extern void* __infer_taint_source();
@@ -169,4 +171,11 @@ std::string* unsanitized_bad(Obj* obj) {
   obj->string_sink(*source);
   return sanitized;
 }
+
+void atomic_eq(std::atomic<std::chrono::duration<int, std::centi>> x,
+               std::chrono::duration<int, std::centi> y) {
+  // this gets translated as operator=(x, y, &tmp_return), which used to cause a
+  // crash
+  x = y;
+}
 }