Uh Oh! There It Goes....
Sooner or later you are going to crash your helicopter - it is a natural consequence of doing things you have not done before. Here is how you can reduce crash damage:
1. Don't freak out
Keep the sticks where they are and see if you can gently, incrementally return it to stablility. If you don't start throwing the sticks all over the place from panic the helicopter will more or less stay where it is until you think of something better to do with it.
2. Set it down
If the situation is getting silly why keep flying? Lower the left stick to get the helicopter down. A rough landing is better than crashing under full power.
3. Fly over grass
Grass has a springy give so there is less impact damage when you hit it. It is pleasant to fly in grassy areas and you don't need a big patch of grass to hover tail and side-in.
4. Know when a crash is going to happen
You can tell when the helicopter is getting out of control. That is the time to act.
5. Reduce power (but not too quickly)There is less damage at slow speed. When you are about to lose it start to lower the left stick.
6. Before it touches earth cut the power
This prevents speed controllers from burning up. If the throttle is up but the blades can't turn the ESC will quickly overheat and fry. Speed controllers are expensive. Another way to protect them is to put fuses in front of them so the fuse will melt instead of the controller.
7. Use a paperclip wire to secure your micro heli's rotor head to mainshaft
The soft wire pin will shear on impact—disconnecting rotational energy of the main blades from the rest of the helicopter.
As you gain experience you will instinctively react to loss of control by slowing the throttle, aiming for soft ground, and chopping power before it hits. Beyond that you will begin to save the helicopter by returning it to a stable hover before losing control altogether. You should always know what you will do to recover when trying something new!
Over time the ratio of saves to crashes will tilt more and more in your favor.