diff --git a/pkg/kapp/crdupgradesafety/change_validator.go b/pkg/kapp/crdupgradesafety/change_validator.go
index f5dbf5888..d548a0421 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/crdupgradesafety/change_validator.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/crdupgradesafety/change_validator.go
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ func (cv *ChangeValidator) Validate(old, new v1.CustomResourceDefinition) error
 	errs := []error{}
 	for _, version := range old.Spec.Versions {
 		newVersion := manifestcomparators.GetVersionByName(&new, version.Name)
+        if newVersion == nil {
+            // if the new version doesn't exist skip this version
+            continue
+        }
 		flatOld := FlattenSchema(version.Schema.OpenAPIV3Schema)
 		flatNew := FlattenSchema(newVersion.Schema.OpenAPIV3Schema)