diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/81662-blockinfile-exc.yml b/changelogs/fragments/81662-blockinfile-exc.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c505ba1923d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/81662-blockinfile-exc.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - "blockinfile - avoid crash with Python 3 if creating the directory fails when ``create=true`` (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/81662)."
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/blockinfile.py b/lib/ansible/modules/blockinfile.py
index a44285197a5..8c83bf0bdd9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/blockinfile.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/blockinfile.py
@@ -272,8 +272,10 @@ def main():
         if not os.path.exists(destpath) and not module.check_mode:
             try:
                 os.makedirs(destpath)
+            except OSError as e:
+                module.fail_json(msg='Error creating %s Error code: %s Error description: %s' % (destpath, e.errno, e.strerror))
             except Exception as e:
-                module.fail_json(msg='Error creating %s Error code: %s Error description: %s' % (destpath, e[0], e[1]))
+                module.fail_json(msg='Error creating %s Error: %s' % (destpath, to_native(e)))
         original = None
         lines = []
     else:
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/create_dir.yml b/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/create_dir.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a16ada5e49a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/create_dir.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+- name: Set up a directory to test module error handling
+  file:
+    path: "{{ remote_tmp_dir_test }}/unreadable"
+    state: directory
+    mode: "000"
+
+- name: Create a directory and file with blockinfile
+  blockinfile:
+    path: "{{ remote_tmp_dir_test }}/unreadable/createme/file.txt"
+    block: |
+      line 1
+      line 2
+    state: present
+    create: yes
+  register: permissions_error
+  ignore_errors: yes
+
+- name: assert the error looks right
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - permissions_error.msg.startswith('Error creating')
+  when: "ansible_user_id != 'root'"
+
+- name: otherwise (root) assert the directory and file exists
+  stat:
+    path: "{{ remote_tmp_dir_test }}/unreadable/createme/file.txt"
+  register: path_created
+  failed_when: path_created.exists is false
+  when: "ansible_user_id == 'root'"
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/main.yml
index b7f5161c8a5..f26cb165e9c 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/blockinfile/tasks/main.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 - import_tasks: add_block_to_existing_file.yml
 - import_tasks: create_file.yml
+- import_tasks: create_dir.yml
 - import_tasks: preserve_line_endings.yml
 - import_tasks: block_without_trailing_newline.yml
 - import_tasks: file_without_trailing_newline.yml