diff --git a/runtime/sema/check_assignment.go b/runtime/sema/check_assignment.go
index d8429a4025..6d1b838c16 100644
--- a/runtime/sema/check_assignment.go
+++ b/runtime/sema/check_assignment.go
@@ -125,7 +125,6 @@ func (checker *Checker) checkAssignment(
 }
 
 func (checker *Checker) rootOfAccessChain(target ast.Expression) (baseVariable *Variable, accessChain []Type) {
-	accessChain = make([]Type, 0)
 	var inAccessChain = true
 
 	// seek the variable expression (if it exists) at the base of the access chain
@@ -393,23 +392,21 @@ func (checker *Checker) visitMemberExpressionAssignment(
 
 	memberType = member.TypeAnnotation.Type
 
-	if !memberType.IsResourceType() {
-		return
-	}
-
-	// if the member is a resource, check that it is not captured in a function,
-	// based off the activation depth of the root of the access chain, i.e. `a` in `a.b.c`
-	// we only want to make this check for transactions, as they are the only "resource-like" types
-	// (that can contain resources and must destroy them in their `execute` blocks), that are themselves
-	// not checked by the capturing logic, since they are not themselves resources.
-	baseVariable, _ := checker.rootOfAccessChain(target)
+	if memberType.IsResourceType() {
+		// if the member is a resource, check that it is not captured in a function,
+		// based off the activation depth of the root of the access chain, i.e. `a` in `a.b.c`
+		// we only want to make this check for transactions, as they are the only "resource-like" types
+		// (that can contain resources and must destroy them in their `execute` blocks), that are themselves
+		// not checked by the capturing logic, since they are not themselves resources.
+		baseVariable, _ := checker.rootOfAccessChain(target)
 
-	if baseVariable == nil {
-		return
-	}
+		if baseVariable == nil {
+			return
+		}
 
-	if _, isTransaction := baseVariable.Type.(*TransactionType); isTransaction {
-		checker.checkResourceVariableCapturingInFunction(baseVariable, member.Identifier)
+		if _, isTransaction := baseVariable.Type.(*TransactionType); isTransaction {
+			checker.checkResourceVariableCapturingInFunction(baseVariable, member.Identifier)
+		}
 	}
 
 	return
diff --git a/runtime/tests/checker/access_test.go b/runtime/tests/checker/access_test.go
index 1b56d7749f..aa882e986b 100644
--- a/runtime/tests/checker/access_test.go
+++ b/runtime/tests/checker/access_test.go
@@ -1884,6 +1884,7 @@ func TestCheckAccessImportGlobalValueVariableDeclarationWithSecondValue(t *testi
     `)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
+	// these capture x and y because they are created in a different file
 	_, err = ParseAndCheckWithOptions(t,
 		`
            import x, y, createR from "imported"