trying to load a module (with GHC API) causes the impossible to happen

Here's a minimal test case to reproduce it:

~/programming% ghci
GHCi, version 6.8.2: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/  :? for help
Loading package base ... linking ... done.
Prelude> :m + GHC
Prelude GHC> s <- newSession (Just "/usr/local/lib/ghc-6.8.2")
Loading package array-0.1.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package packedstring-0.1.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package containers-0.1.0.1 ... linking ... done.
Loading package old-locale-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package old-time-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package filepath-1.1.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package directory-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package unix-2.3.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package process-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package pretty-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package hpc-0.5.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package template-haskell ... linking ... done.
Loading package Cabal-1.2.3.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package random-1.0.0.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package haskell98 ... linking ... done.
Loading package bytestring-0.9.0.1 ... linking ... done.
Loading package readline-1.0.1.0 ... linking ... done.
Loading package ghc-6.8.2 ... linking ... done.
Prelude GHC> prelude <- findModule s (mkModuleName "Prelude") Nothing
ghc-6.8.2: panic! (the 'impossible' happened)
  (GHC version 6.8.2 for i386-unknown-linux):
        no package state yet: call GHC.setSessionDynFlags

Please report this as a GHC bug:  http://www.haskell.org/ghc/reportabug

Prelude GHC> 

Some details which might help:

~/programming% uname -a
Linux buckwheat 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Tue Feb 12 07:42:25 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux
~/programming% lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 7.10
Release:        7.10
Codename:       gutsy
~/programming% ghc --version
The Glorious Glasgow Haskell Compilation System, version 6.8.2

I installed GHC via the "ghc-6.8.2-i386-unknown-linux.tar.bz2" binary package.

Trac metadata

Trac field	Value
Version	6.8.2
Type	Bug
TypeOfFailure	OtherFailure
Priority	normal
Resolution	Unresolved
Component	GHC API
Test case
Differential revisions
BlockedBy
Related
Blocking
CC
Operating system
Architecture	Unknown